OSCAF^ GERSON 





ADES 5A-5B 



BLE& 





Class 

Book_£M^ 
Copyright )J^_ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSflV 



OUR COLONIAL HISTORY 



FROM THE 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA 



TO THE 



CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION 



GRADES 5A-5B 

NEiV YORK CITY EDITION 



BY 

OSCAR GERSON, Ph.D. 

W 



1915 
HINDS, NOBLE & ELDREDGE, Publishers 

30 Irving Place, New York City 



■ Q\ 3^^- 



Copyright. 1909. 1914. by 
HINDS. NOBLE & ELDREDGE 



/ 



DEC 10 1914 



CIA388759 



CONTENTS 



PART I. — Discovery and Exploration 

PAGE 

Introduction. — Early Ideas i 

Chapter I. — Columbus 7 

§ I , Geographical Ideas at the Time of Columbus 7 

§ 2. Efforts to Obtain a Fleet 11 

§ 3. Discovery of America 14 

Chapter II. — Spanish Discoveries 19 

Chapter III. — English Discoveries 29 

Chapter IV. — French Discoveries 33 

Chapter V. — Dutch Discoveries 39 

Chapter VI. — The American Indians 43 

Summary 49 

PART II. — English Colonies in America 

Introduction. — Planting the Colonies 53 

Chapter VII. — The Southern Colonies 55 

§ I. Virginia 55 

§ 2. Maryland 66 

§ 3. The Carolinas • 70 

§ 4. Georgia 73 

§ 5. Life in the Southern Colonies 75 

Summary ']^ 

iii 



iv CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter VIII. — The New England Colonies 79 

§ I. Massachusetts 79 

§ 2. New Hampshire and Maine 88 

§ 3. Rhode Island and Connecticut 89 

§ 4. Troubles with the Indians 93 

§ 5. Life in New England 94 

Summary 99 

Chapter IX. — The Middle Colonies loi 

§ I. New York loi 

§ 2, New Jersey 107 

§ 3. Pennsylvania and Delaware 108 

§ 4. Life in Middle Colonies 117 

Summary 119 

PART III. — The Establishment of EngHsh Supremacy in America 

Conflict of Claims 120 

Chapter X. — The Intercolonial Wars 123 

§ I. The Struggle Tor Acadia 123 

g 2. The Final Contest 125 

Summary 134 

Chapter XL — Colonial Life and Government 136 

§ I. Life in Colonial Times 136 

§ 2. Government of the Colonies 145 

PART IV. — Hov^ the Colonies Became the United States 

The War for Independence 148 

Chapter XII. — Causes of the War 149 

Chapter XIII. — The War in New England and Canada .... 153 

Chapter XIV. — The War in the Middle States 158 

Chapter XV. — The War in the South 165 

Appendix 169 



PART 1 
DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



INTRODUCTION 



1. Early Ideas of the Extent of the World.— About four 
hundred years ago there were no white people Hving in Amer- 
The only inhabitants of that continent were savage 



ica. 




The World as 
Known to Colum- 
bus (lig-ht parts 
only were known). 



Indians and Eskimos. The people of the white race lived in 
Europe, western and southern Asia, and northern Africa. 



-2 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

Eastern Asia was inhabited by people of the yellow race and 
nearly all of Africa was inhabited by negroes. 

The white people of Europe were the most highly civilized 
of all the people on the globe. Although they had schools 
and colleges, they did not know very much about the extent 
of the world. The school-children of to-day know much 
more about geography than wise men knew at that time. 
They had no idea that there was such a place as America , 
neither did they know anything about Australia or Oceanica. 
In fact, when they spoke of the world, they thought about 
only those parts in which they lived — Europe, southern and 
western Asia, and northern Africa. 

2. New Interest in Geography. — Between the thirteenth 
and fifteenth century, however, some of the learned men of 
Europe began to take great interest in geography. They 
wanted to find out about all parts of the earth. Just as 
explorers to-day are trying to reach the North Pole, so the 
navigators of those days felt very anxious to visit new parts 
of the earth. 

3. The Adventures of Marco Polo. — As early as the thir- 
teenth century two brothers, Nicolo and MafTeo Polo, started 
on a long journey from their native city, Venice. Nicolo 's 
son Marco, a boy of seventeen years, also went with them. 
After a long trip through Asia, across mountains and over 
deserts, they reached the northwestern part of China. Here 
they met the ruler of that country, the famous Kublai Khan. 
He treated the Polos in a friendly manner, and they grew very 
rich during their stay in his country. 

. At last they came back to Venice. They had been gone 
twenty-four years and their own friends did not recognize them. 



INTRODUCTION 



Marco Polo had grown to be a stout, middle-aged man. After 
they had been home a few days they gave a dinner party and 
invited some of their old friends. At the close of the banquet 
they brought out three old coats. Ripping them open, out 
fell diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other kinds of precious 
stones. The guests opened their eyes wide with astonishment. 
The story spread rapidly, and the people of Europe were now 
more anxious than ever to visit eastern Asia, where the Polos 
had obtained all this wealth. 

Later Marco Polo wrote a book about his travels. It was 
eagerly read all over Europe. It contained descriptions of 




A Caravan. 



China, Japan, India, and the islands of eastern Asia. The 
people of Europe thus found out more about these lands than 
they had ever known before. 

4. The Trade with Eastern Asia. — The merchants of 



4 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

Europe, particularly those of the South, along the Mediterra- 
nean, had been carrying on a profitable trade with eastern 
Asia. They bought silks, spices, medicines, costly woolens, etc. 
Vessels sailed along the Mediterranean to Constantinople,. and 
from there an overland journey was made through Asia. 
Venice, the city of Marco Polo, became one of the wealthiest 
ports on account of this commerce. 

By the middle of the fifteenth century, however, this trade 
had been almost stopped. There was a new ruler of China, 
who was not so friendly to foreigners as Kublai Khan had been. 
In fact, he would not allow any white people to enter China at 
all. About this time the Turks began to get control of the 
eastern Mediterranean. They were Mohammedans and hated 
all Christians. They were ferocious warriors and they thought 
it no sin to rob a Christian vessel. In 1453, when the Turks 
conquered Constantinople, the Christian merchants of Venice 
and other Mediterranean seaports were unable to continue 
their profitable trade. 

5. New Routes to India. — When the people found that they 
no longer could get to eastern Asia by the overland route 
through Constantinople, they began to seek some other way 
to reach these wealthy lands. The Suez Canal connecting 
the Mediterranean with the Red Sea had not yet been con- 
structed, and even if it had been, European merchants would 
have been afraid to send their goods that way, on account of 
the Turks. One of the first ways thought of was to sail around 
Africa. At that time no one had ever sailed around Africa 
and no one knew its shape nor how far south it extended. 

6. The Portuguese Navigators. — It was natural that naviga- 
tors of Portugal, the most southwestern country of Europe, 



INTRODUCTION 



should make the first attempts to sail around Africa. At that 
time most people believed that in the Torrid Zone the ocean 
was boiling, and that any ships sailing so far south would 
surely be melted by the intense heat. 

The Portuguese, however, were bold and daring sailors, 
and decided to make the at- 
tempt to get to Asia by this 
southern and eastern route. 
Their ships were small and 
crude affairs, no larger than 
sailing yachts of to-day and 
not nearly so well built. 
Many voyages were made 
along the western coast of 
Africa. The sailors found 
out that the ocean at the 
Equator was not really boiling. 
Some of the vessels brought 
back gold and slaves from the 
western coast of Africa. 

In 1487 Bartholomew Diaz discovered the Cape of Good 
Hope and sailed around to the Indian Ocean. His crews 
were so worn out from the long and stormy voyage that they 
made Dias turn back. It was not until ten years later, 1497, 
that another Portuguese navigator, Vasco da Qama, succeeded 
in sailing around Africa to the Indian Ocean and eastward 
across that ocean to India. 

7. Another Route Suggested.— Up to the time of da Gama's 
voyage, the merchants of Europe had not been able to find a 
new route to eastern Asia; and they still did not dare to use 




A Ship of those Days. 



6 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

the old route for fear of the Turks. Geographers began to 
ask, "Isn't there some other and perhaps a shorter way of 
reaching India?" 

. The voyage around Africa had not yet been successfully 
made when an Italian navigator named Christopher Columbus 
said that he had thought out another way of reaching India. 
In the next chapter we shall learn something about the route 
he wished to try. 

MEMORIZE THESE DATES AND EVENTS 

1492. Columbus discovered America. 

1588. Drake destroyed the Spanish Armada. 

1607. Jamestown was settled by the English. 

1609. Henry Hudson sailed up the Hudson River. 

1620. The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. 

1623. New Amsterdam was settled by the Dutch. 

1664. English conquest of New Amsterdam. 



CHAPTER I 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

§ U GEOGRAPHICAL IDEAS AT THE TIME OF COLUMBUS 

8. Ideas about the Shape of the Earth. — Four hundred 
years ago nobody knew what the real shape of the earth was. 
There had been different guesses at different times, but that 
is all they were — just guesses. The earth looked flat, and 
so almost every one 
thought that it was flat. 

Hundreds of years 
before the fifteenth cen- 
tury, however, there were 
learned men who be- 
lieved that the earth was 
not flat. They had writ- 
ten books in which they 
had tried to prove that 
the earth was round. 
The theories of these 
ancient writers were 
not believed by most 
people, but there were 
some geographers who 
thought that they might be true. They were anxious to find a 
new route to India and were willing to get help from any book, 
no ma\iter how long ago it had been written. 




Columbus. 

{From original portrait by Antonio Van Moor, 1542.) 



BISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



9. Columbus's Interest in Geography. — One of the geogra 
phers of the time was the Italian, Christopher Columbus. He 
had been a poor boy, who loved to visit the wharves of his 
native city, Genoa, and listen to the stories told by the sailors. 
He soon became a sailor himself and later a captain. His 




Young- Columbus Listening- to Sailors' Tales. 

native land, Italy, had suffered greatly through the stopping of 
the commerce with the East. There was no one in Europe 
more anxious than Columbus to find the new route. 

Columbus was particularly well fitted for the task. During 
his many voyages he had become an experienced navigator. 
He had also studied all the books about geography that he 
could find. The adventures of Marco Polo had interested him 
deeply. There were few men in Europe who knew as muc'i 
about geography as Christopher Columbus. For a while he 
made his living by drawing maps and charts^ 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 9 

Columbus had something besides experience and knowledge. 
He had courage, patience, and a stout heart. Knowledge alone 
never enabled a man to achieve any great success. Had it not 
been for the bravery and perseverance of Columbus, his name 
would long ago have been forgotten. 

10. Fear of the Unknown Sea. — Columbus was one of those 
who believed that the earth was round. He did not know 
its real shape, but thought it was something like a pear 




Showing how Columbus Hoped to Reach India. 



"Now," said Columbus, ''if the earth is round, why could not 
India be reached by sailing west?" This certainly seemed 
a sensible idea. 

Although there were some who agreed with Columbus, 
most people still thought that the earth was flat. They 
would not venture far out on the ocean for fear of reaching 
the edge and falling off. Besides, they were superstitious and 
believed in various kinds of sea-serpents and other monsters 
which might swallow up or destroy the ships out on the unknown 
sea. The Turks of the eastern Mediterranean were bad 



lO 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



enough, but still they were human beings, while the imaginary 
creatures of the distant seas filled them with uncanny horror. 

11. Mistakes Columbus Made. — After Columbus had made 
up his mind that India could be reached by sailing west, nothing 
could make him change his opinion. Many people ridiculed 
his ideas and some even thought he was crazy. Children 
on the streets would make fun of him, tapping their foreheads 




Toscanelli's Map. 

to show that they thought he had lost his senses. Columbus 
was not the kind of man to be discouraged by ridicule; in 
fact, this opposition made him all the more determined to 
prove to everybody that he was right. 

We now know that Columbus made some mistakes. He 
knew that the earth was round, but he did not know how 
large it was. He was also ignorant of the existence of the 
continent of America, 



• 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



II 



About four hundred years before this time, some bold 
sailors of Norway — Vikings, as they were called — had sailed 
across the Atlantic Ocean, landing in Greenland and on the 
coast of what is now New England. But nothing ever came 
of these discoveries. Even learned geographers had either 
never known or had forgotten about them. It is likely that 




Discoveries of the Vikings. 



Columbus had never heard of the Norse voyagers. He never 
dreamt that there was any large body of land in the Atlantic 
between Europe and Asia. 



§2. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN A FLEET 

12. Columbus in Search of Aid. — About 1470 Columbus 
left Italy and went to Portugal. Here he learned much of the 
attempts to sail around Africa to India. He himself went on 
several of these voyages, gaining more knowledge and experi- 
ence. The thought of reaching India by sailing west now 



12 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

became the principal idea in the mind of Columbus. Not a 
day passed but what he wondered how he could manage to 
secure ships to make this voyage. 

Columbus had not money enough to fit out ships for himself, 
so he tried to get help from others. At first he applied to 
King John II. of Portugal and told him his plans. But the 
King's advisers thought the idea was foolish and persuaded 
the monarch not to furnish the ships. Columbus then turned 
his back on Portugal and journeyed to Spain. He left his 
home, wife, and children, taking with him only his oldest son, 
then a mere boy. 

In Spain he laid his plans before the King and Queen, 
Ferdinand and Isabella. But they had more pressing business 
on hand. Spain was at that time in the midst of a war with 
the Moors — Mohammedans who had crossed over from northern 
Africa and conquered southern Spain. The King and Queen 
were determined to conquer these Moors and drive them out. 
As the monarchs travelled about from place to place, Columbus 
followed them, begging for assistance. 

At last the Moors were conquered. All Spain was over- 
joyed at the victory. Ferdinand and Isabella now had time 
to listen to Columbus and consider his plans more seriously. 
After seven weary years of patient waiting, Columbus received 
the aid he had so long been seeking. He had made some 
good friends in Spain and they used their influence with the 
King and Queen. Besides, the Spanish monarchs were 
afraid that England or some other nation of Europe might fit 
out ships for Columbus and thus gain possession of any land 
that might be discovered. 

13. Fitting out the Fleet. — After it was decided that Spain 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



13 



was to fit out the fleet for Columbus, it was no easy matter to 
get the crews for the vessels. The sailors of those days were 
afraid to venture out on the Sea of Darkness, as the Atlantic 
Ocean was called. All sorts of terrors filled their minds. 
Some of them thought Columbus crazy and were afraid to 
risk their lives upon his ships. We have learned that Columbus 
thought the earth smaller than it really is. In one way this 




Columbus* Ships. 

was a lucky mistake. If the sailors had known the real size of 
the- earth, they would have been still more unwilling to under^ 
take the dangerous voyage. As it was, many of them had to 
be forced to go. Some of the sailors were prisoners who were 
taken out of jail and compelled to join the crews. 

2 S-ED 



14 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

The fleet consisted of three small vessels. Christopher 
Columbus was made Admiral or Commander of all. The 
name of his ship was the Santa Maria. The other two vessels 
were named the Pinta and the Nina. Alonzo Pinzon, a famous 
navigator, was commander of the former, and his brother, 
Vincent Pinzon, commanded the latter. 

§ 3. THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA 

14. Story of the Voyage.— Early in the morning of August 
3, 1492, the vessels left Palos, a seaport of Spain. The friends 
of the crew waved tearful farewells to them. They never 
expected them to escape the dangers of the Sea of Darkness 
and return alive. 

During the voyage Columbus found it extremely difficult 
to keep up the spirit of his sailors and secure obedience to his 
orders. After they had been out a few days some of them 
noticed a piece of a mast floating on the ocean. The sailors 
were sure that this was a piece of a wreck from some vessel 
which had been foolish enough to make this voyage. 

As they sailed on, day after day, across the unknown sea, 
the sailors grew more and more afraid. They wanted to turn 
back. But afl their talk and pleading, even their threats of 
mutiny, could not make Columbus change his mind or his 
course. "Goon to the west!" was his constant command. 
How many men would have had the bravery and perseverance 
of Columbus? 

A reward had been offered to the man who should first see 
land. Imagine how eagerly they watched the western horizon! 
On the morning of October nth there were sure signs that 
land was near A branch with berries on it and a hand- 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 15 

carved stick were found floating on the water. There was not 
much sleep on those three Httle ships that night. All were 
watching. During the evening Columbus noticed a moving 
light. It looked like a torch being carried about by some one. 
The next morning, October 12, 1492, land could be plainly 
seen. A gun was fired, and the sailors shouted with joy. 

15. The Landing of Columbus. — As soon as Columbus 



Columbus Landing". 

landed, he fell on his knees, while tears of joy streamed down 
iiis face. He bent down and kissed the ground. Then he 
drew his sword, and took possession of the land for Spain. 
All the sailors, even those who had been plotting against him 
during the voyage, now crowded around him. They fell on 
their knees, kissed his hands, and promised always to obey him. 



1 6 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

Columbus thought that the island on which he had landed 
was part of eastern Asia or the Indies, as it was generally 
called. It was really one of the Bahama Islands. The naked 
savages of the islands he called Indians. This incorrect nan:;3 
has never been changed. The red men of America are still 
called Indians. 

Columbus cruised about the islands several days. Not 
finding any cities or palaces, he began to be puzzled. He had 
a letter from the King and Queen of Spain for the Great Khan 
of Cathay or China, the country that Marco Polo had written 
about. Little did Columbus think that he was over 10,000 
miles away from Asia and that a broad continent and the 
vast Pacific Ocean separated him from the Indies. 

He had discovered a new continent, a large and rich body 
of land, a continent on which sorhe centuries later would 
flourish great nations, one of them the United States of America. 
Like many other great men, Columbus had accomplished 
more than he himself was aware of. 

16. The Return to Spain. — Columbus was greatly dis- 
appointed in not being able to find any gold or precious stones. 
He cruised about and discovered Cuba and Hayti. The 
Santa Maria had been wrecked, so Columbus had only the 
Nina and Pinta left. Leaving forty of the men who wished 
to stay, in a rude hut, Columbus and the remainder of his crew 
now started on their homeward journey. They took ten natives 
with them. 

After a stormy voyage of about seventy days, they reached 
Palos, Spain. They had been gone over seven months. 
Columbus was received with the greatest honor. The city 
was decorated as for a holiday. Columbus, accompanied by 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 1 7 

many Spanish nobles, paraded through the streets to the royal 
palace. Crowds cheered him on the way, and people climbed 
to housetops to get a glimpse of the great discoverer. The 
King and Queen were waiting to receive him under a canopy 
of gold. When they heard his story, they fell upon their knees 
and thanked God. They were filled with joy at gaining posses- 
sion of the new land. They also hoped to be able to convert 
the heathen inhabitants of these lands to Christianity. 

17. Later Voyages and Death of Columbus. — Columbus did 
not have to plead seven years to be allowed to make a second 
voyage. A fleet of seventeen vessels was soon ready. Nor did 
sailors have to be forced to join the crew. Young men from 
wealthy families were anxious to go to see the new lands. 
They set sail in September, 1493. The voyage was pleasant, and 
they finally landed on one of the West India Islands. Colum- 
bus now went in search of the forty men whom he had left be- 
hind. There was nothing left of them but their bones. They had 
all been killed by the savage natives. After spending three years 
among the West Indies, Columbus again returned to Spain. 

In 1498 he made his third voyage, during which he dis- 
covered the mainland of South America, at the mouth of the 
Orinoco. But now his enemies — every great man has enemies 
— began plotting against him in Spain. They said he was a 
foreigner, that he had not kept his promise of bringing back gold 
and gems, and that he was unable to govern the Spanish colonies 
properly. At last they succeeded in having him brought back 
to Spain in chains. But when Queen Isabella heard the story 
of his hardships, she ordered him to be released. 

Columbus now made his fourth and last voyage to the 
New World. When he returned in 1504, his enemies had 



i8 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



again been plotting against him. Worst of all, his best friend, 
Queen Isabella, was dying. In a few weeks she was no more. 
King Ferdinand took but little interest in Columbus or his 
discoveries. The people of Spain were disappointed because 
the promised gold did not come from the new land. 




Death of Columbus. 

Wrinkled with age, and worn out by his hard labors, 
Columbus now had scarcely a friend to whom he could turn. 
At Jast, poor and despised, wanting even the necessaries of 
life, he died on May 20, 1506. He never knew that he had 
discovered a new continent, but died with the belief that he 
had found a new route to Asia. 



CHAPTER II 
SPANISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



18. Other Voyages to the New World — Why they were 

Made. — :After Columbus had shown that land could be reached 
by sailing west over the Atlantic Ocean, many people of Europe 
were anxious to make voyages to the New World. 

It was true that the land discovered by Columbus was very 
different from eastern Asia, as described by Marco Polo and 
other writers. Still its very newness 
made it the more interesting. Even 
though this was not the Indies, they 
thought the land of silks, spices, and 
precious stones could not be very far 
away. Spain claimed the new land 
by the right of discovery. But, as 

we shall see, the other nations of ^ .,idii!!\'^'T!^§^^H\^ 
Europe were not going to remain idle 
and let Spain have everything. 

Many of those who sailed to the 
New World were in search of adven- 
ture. They were attracted by the chance of seeing some- 
thing new. Others were willing to risk the voyage for the 
sake of gaining riches. The New World was believed to 
contain abundant gold, silver, and precious gems. Others 
wished to visit the new lands in order to convert the heathen 
inhabitants to Christianity. For more than a hundred years 

19 




Americus Vespucius. 



20 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



after Columbus's discovery, there were many voyages made to 
the New World to try to find a passage through it to India. 
Of course, the explorers had no idea of the great width of the 
continent nor of the broad Pacific Ocean beyond it. Another 
reason for voyages to the New World was to gain possession of 
land for the native countries of the discoverers. 




First Use of Name America on a Map. 

19. How America Received its Name. — An Italian navigator 
named Americus Vespucius, in the service of Spain, made three 
or four voyages to the New World. In 1499 he discovered the 
mainland of South America. On his return to Europe he 
published a book in which he gave a description of his dis- 
coveries. 

In 1507 a German writer named Waldseemiiller published 
a -little book on geography. He thought that the new land 
should be named for Americus Vespucius. Columbus, he 



SPANISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



21 



said, had discovered only a few islands, while Americus Ves- 
pucius had discovered a new continent. Of course, this was 
exceedingly unjust to Columbus, who surely deserved having 
the new world named 
for him. 

After Waldseemiiller 
had published his book, 
the name America be- 
gan to appear on maps 
of the New World. 
At first the name was 
used only for South 
America, but later it 
was applied to the whole 
continent. The islands 
which Columbus had 
discovered began to be 
called West Indies, to 
distinguish them from 
the Indies of eastern 
Asia. 

20. Division of the 
New World. — Portugal 
disputed the claim of 
Spain to all newly dis- 
covered land, and the 
quarrel between these 
. Catholic countries was referred to the Pope. Taking a map 
of the world, he drew a line from north to south, 370 leagues 
west of the Cape Verd Islands. All land east of this line not 



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22 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



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Voyages and Settlements. 



SPANISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



23 



belonging to any Christian nation he declared should belong 
to Portugal, and all land west of it, to Spain. A glance at 
the map will show that this gave Portugal only a small part 
of what we now call Brazil. 

21. Ponce de Leon Discovers Florida. — There were many 
stories believed in those days which seem absurd to us. One 
of these stories, which the Spaniards had often heard, was that 




T^^^^^==:^'fvr[3^^^^]rr^TXTr''vY^^ 



Ponce de Leon Discovering Florida. 

there existed a wonderful fountain. Whoever bathed in its 
waters, it was said, would remain young and live forever. 

Ponce de Leon, a brave soldier who had accompanied 
Columbus on his second voyage, was at the time living in the 
West Indies. Something he heard the Indians say made him 



24 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

think that this wonderful fountain was situated on an island 
named Bimini, to the north. So he secured permission from 
King Ferdinand to con({uer this island. 

In March, 15 13, de Leon set sail from Porto Rico, and on 
the twenty-seventh of the month, Easter Sunday, he came in 
sight of land. The Spanish name for Easter is ''Pascua 
Florida," so de Leon named the land Florida. He returned 
to Porto Rico and later, in 1521, he took a colony to Florida. 
Of course, de Leon never found the fountain of youth. Instead, 
he was mortally wounded in a fight with the Indians. 

22. Balboa Discovers the Pacific Ocean. — Balboa was the 
Spanish governor of one of the colonies of Central America. 
In 1 5 13, while in search of a southwestern sea, he climbed to 
the peak of a mountain in the Isthmus of Darien, the narrowest 
part of the Isthmus of Panama. To his surprise, he beheld a 
vast expanse of water. It was the Pacific Ocean. Probably 
no white man had ever seen it before. Of course, Balboa had 
no idea how wide this ocean really was. Some historians say 
that Balboa's discovery of the Pacific Ocean was almost as 
important as Columbus's discovery of America. The name 
Pacific was given to this ocean by Magellan, another navigator. 

Expedition of Cortez. — About 1519 Hernando Cortez, a 
Spanish general, landed on the coast of Mexico with an army 
of seven hundred men to take possession of this country. 
They marched through the wilderness to the capital, a dis- 
tance of two hundred miles. Montezuma, the king of the 
Aztecs (as the natives were called), who was reputed to be very 
rich, sent messengers with presents to meet them, but also 
sent word that the Spanish must not advance into the country. 

Death of Montezuma. — Cortez continued to advance and 



SPANISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 25 

was treated with great kindness by Montezuma on his arrival 
at the capital. The designs of the Spanish were apparent to 
the Aztecs, who began to show signs of hostiHty. To stop 
this Cortez made a prisoner of the king and commanded him 
to counsel his people to submit. This so angered them that 
they threw stones and arrows at the king, who died soon after 
from his injuries. 

Conquest of Mexico. — The Aztecs then attacked the 
Spaniards and drove them from the capital. Retreating, 
Cortez was forced to give battle. Although his army was 
small, he was victorious, for the Spaniards had guns and 
swords and wore armor which the Indians could not contend 
against, and received aid from the native tribes, who were 
dissatisfied with the rule of their king. Cortez returned to 
the capital and made a conquest of the entire country. 

23. Magellan — Circumnaviga- 
tion of the Globe. — Ferdinand Ma- 
gellan was a Portuguese by birth. 
When his native country refused to 
fit out an expedition for him, he 
offered his services to Spain. In 
1 5 19 he set sail to find a passage 
or strait through America to the 
Indies. 

Mag-ellan. 

After a long voyage, Magellan 
reached the straits that now bear his name. Many of the 
crew were afraid to proceed farther, but Magellan was a 
stout-hearted man, and his answer to his men was that he 
would go on "if he had to eat the leather off the ship's yards." 

In the voyage across the Pacific Ocean the crew endured 




26 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



famine and disease; but at last, on the i6th of March, the 
ships landed at one of the group of islands now called the 
Philippines. Here Magellan was killed in a battle with the 
natives. Here many of the Spaniards were slain. The re- 
mainder made their escape in the ships as soon as they could. 







De Soto Discovering- the Mississippi. 

/The sailors now continued their western voyage. One of 
the vessels, with eighteen hungry and haggard men, suc- 
ceeded in reaching Spain. This was the first ship that ever 
sailed around the world. To Magellan belongs the glory of 
proving that the world is really round. 

24. De Soto — Discovery of the Mississippi River. — Ferdi- 
nand de Soto was a Spanish adventurer who had helped Pizarro 
to conquer Peru in South America. They had forced the 



SPANISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 27 

Indian ruler of that land to give them large quantities of gold 
and precious stones. 

Later, when de Soto heard from some Spanish explorers 
that there were greater treasures in Florida than in any other 
part of the New World, he made up his mind that he would 
try to secure some of this vast treasure for himself. 

In 1539 de Soto landed in Florida with an army of 570 
men and 223 horses. The Indians were hostile, and he had to 
fight most of the way. Although large numbers of the red men 
were slain, de Soto also lost many of his own men. At last, 
after a weary march westward, across the southeastern part of 
what we now call the United States, he discovered the Missis- 
sippi River, 1541. 

De Soto was greatly disappointed at his failure to obtain 
the treasures and gold which he had started out to find. In 
1542. he died of a fever and was buried in the waters of the 
great river which he had discovered. The remaining men of 
the expedition built boats, and going down the Mississippi, 
reached the Gulf of Mexico. They finally landed at a Spanish 
settlement on the coast of Mexico. 

25. Spanish Settlements. — Most of the Spaniards who 
came to America wished to find gold or silver. As it was only 
in Mexico and South America that they had been able to find 
these precious metals, most of their colonies were established 
in those parts of the continent. They did not settle down 
quietly and turn their attention to agriculture. This way 
of getting rich was rather too slow for them. Frequently 
they would make raids upon Indian settlements, rob them 
of their gold and silver, and carry the Indians themselves into 
slavery. 



28 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

In 1565 Menendez, a Spanish commander, set out to 
destroy a French fleet off the coast of Florida. He made a 
settlement at St. Augustine. This was the first permanent 
settlement in this country, and is the oldest town in the 
United States. The French fleet was afterward driven on 
shore during a storm. Menendez and his men attacked the 
ship-wrecked sailors, killing nearly ah of them. 

As we have learned before, one of the reasons for settling 
the new land was to convert the heathen natives to Christianity. 
West of the Mississippi River many missionary settlements 
were made by the Spaniards. Santa Fe, the second oldest 
town in the United States, was founded in 1605 by the Fran- 
ciscans, members of a monastic order. 

26. The Spanish Claim. — As a result of the Spanish dis- 
coveries and explorations, especiafly the original discovery by 
Columbus and the explorations of de Leon, Spain laid claim 
to a large part of America. The region was caUed New 
Spain. It included nearly ah of South America, Central 
America, Mexico, and all of what is now called the United 
States, except New England. Its northern limit was indefinite, 
as most of the land to the north was stifl unexplored wilderness. 



CHAPTER III 
ENGLISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



27. Voyages of the Cabots. — Although Columbus had made 
four voyages to the New World, which he thought was Asia, 
he had not landed on the mainland of North America. The 
people of Spain and of other 
parts of Europe were surprised 
at the failure of Columbus to 
bring back the gold and other 
treasures which they believed 
were to be had in eastern Asia. 

John Cabot, an Italian navi- 
gator, was living at that time in 
England. The King, Henry VII., 
gave Cabot permission to try to 
reach the land of gold and spices 
by means of a western voyage. 
Some merchants of Bristol raised 
the money for this purpose. 

In May, 1497, Cabot, with one 
vessel and a crew of eighteen, dis- 
covered the mainland of North 

America. The next year, accompanied by his son Sebastian, 
he made another voyage to America, cruising along the coast 




Discoveries by the Cabots. 



3 S-ED 



29 




30 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

of North America from Canada as far south as South Caro- 
lina. Their discoveries were very important. 

28. Sir Francis Drake. — After the voyages of the Cabots 
not much was done by the EngHsh for a number of years. 
In 1577 Sir Francis Drake, a famous Enghsh navigator and 
adventurer, set out on an expedition 
against the Spanish in America. Many 
of Drake's actions were of a kind for 
which England should feel shame rather 
than pride. He was really little better 
than a pirate. 

After cruising along the Atlantic coast 
Drake. ^^ South America, he sailed through the 

Strait of Magellan to the Pacific Ocean. 
He then sailed along the western coast of South America and 
secured a large amount of plunder on the coasts of Chili and 
Peru. He then sailed north as far as California, claiming this 
land for England. He named it New Albion. On his way 
home he sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, thus complet- 
ing the second circumnavigation of the globe. 

The Spanish Armada. — Spain determined to be revenged, 
and for many months had been gathering warships to attack 
England, but in 1587 Drake sailed into the harbor of Cadiz 
and destroyed nearly one hundred ships. This delayed the 
expedition another year. In 1588 the Armada, the largest 
and most powerful fleet the world had ever known, sailed from 
Lisbon. There were 129 large vessels and they carried 19,275 
soldiers, 8460 sailors, many slaves, and 2431 cannon, intend- 
ing to land a large force at the mouth of the Thames. The 
English fleet under Admiral Howard, and Drake, who had 



ENGLISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 3 1 

been made a Vice-Admiral, attacked the Armada off Calais. 
Aided by a furious storm, superior gunnery, and seamanship 
the English defeated the '' Invincible Armada," and became 
the leading power of Europe. 

29. The Northwest Passage. — Magellan's way of reaching 
India did not become very popular. It was decidedly too long 
and dangerous. The route around Africa had been discovered 
by Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese. Portugal did not intend 
that any other nation should profit by this discovery, so she 
began to control all Asiatic trade carried on by this route. 

Many navigators were now anxious to find another passage 
through the continent of America. It was thought by some 
that there might be a strait in the northern part of the conti- 
nent, by means of which a shorter route than Magellan's 
could be found. This was generally spoken of as the 
Northwest passage. 

30. Frobisher and Davis. — Toward the end of the sixteenth 
century, unsuccessful attempts were made by Frobisher and 
by Davis, two English navigators, to find the Northwest 
passage. Frobisher discovered Frobisher Bay and found out 
considerable about the Eskimos. Davis discovered the Strait 
that bears his name. 

31. Sir Walter Raleigh. — At about this time, an English 
courtier, named Sir Walter Raleigh, thought it would be a good 
plan to send some English people over to America to live there 
— in other words, he wished to plant English colonies in the 
New World. Queen Elizabeth was very fond of Raleigh. 
She gave him permission to establish the colonies and made 
him their Governor. 

Raleigh sent out the first expedition in 1584. The colonists 



32 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 




Sir Walter Raleig-h, 



landed on Roanoke Island, on the coast of North Carolina. 
Raleigh named the land Virginia, in honor of Elizabeth, the 
virgin queen. The colonists were disappointed at not finding 

gold. Food and provisions were scarce, 
so when Drake happened to visit the 
island, the discouraged colonists were 
very glad to get on his ship and return 
home to England. 

Another attempt was made by Ra- 
leigh to found a colony. It met a sad 
fate. No one knows what became of 
the colonists. It is supposed that all 
of them were killed by the Indians. It 
was in this colony that the first white 
child was born in America. Her name was Virginia Dare. 
She disappeared along with the rest of the colony. 

The first colonists brought back to England two valuable 
products, the potato and tobacco. The potato soon became 
an important article of food all over Europe. White people 
soon acquired the habit of using tobacco, and large quantities 
were sent to Europe. It is one of the most important exports 
of the United States to-day. 

32. The English Claim. — As a result of the discoveries of 
the Cabots and the voyages of Drake, the English claimed all 
the land in America between Labrador and Florida and from 
the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This land was at first 
called Virginia. 



CHAPTER IV 
FRENCH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



33» Motives of the First French Explorers. — While the 
Spanish explorers had sailed to the New World principally to 
obtain gold, another motive prompted the French. They had 
heard of the excellent fisheries off the coast of Newfoundland. 
The profits to be obtained from fishing and the trade in furs 
were the main causes which first led the French to visit 
America. The first expeditions were 
undertaken by French fishermen who 
were not under orders from the King 
of France. They explored the Gulf of 
St. Lawrence. 

34. Verrazani. — In 1524 Verrazani, 
a Florentine navigator in the service 
of France, explored the coast of 
America from North Carolina to 
New England. He sailed up several 
bays and rivers in the hope that they 
might be straits leading to the Pacific, 
not, so he had to return to France, 
attempt to find a passage through America. 

35. Cartier. — In 1534 Jacques Cartier sailed to America. 
He entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which he named. He 
then sailed up the St. Lawrence River to where Montreal now 
stands. Cartier gave the place this name, meaning Royal 




Verrazani. 



Of course, they were 
having failed in his 



33 



34 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 




Cartier. 



Mountain, on account of the beautiful view obtained from the 

high hill. He returned in 1540, and 
took possession of Canada in the name 
of the king of France. To this entire 
region he gave the name of New France. 
36. Acadia. — The first permanent 
French settlement in America was 
made at Port Royal in. 1604. This 
was three years before the settlement 
of Jamestown by the English. The 
region from the 40th parallel to Mon- 
treal was called Acadia by the French. Later the name was 
given only to what is now called Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 
wick. The name of Port Royal was later changed by the 
English to Annapolis, in honor of Queen 
Anne. 

37. Champlain. — One of the colonists 
who had come to Acadia was Samuel de 
Champlain. He cruised down the Atlantic 
Coast as far as Massachusetts. Later, in 
1608, he built a fort at Quebec, which 
was used as a fur- trading post. Cham- 
plain was governor of Quebec for several 
years. He made many expeditions into the interior. In 1609, 
in company with a party of Indians, he discovered the lake 
which was named for him. 

On several occasions Champlain and his men helped the 
St. Lawrence Indians in their wars against the Iroquois, a 
powerful tribe of New York. Of course, the Frenchmen had 
guns which gave them a great advantage over the red men. 




Champlain. 



FRENCH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



35 



On account of Champlain's attacks, the Iroquois always hated 
all Frenchmen. French missionaries who attempted to con- 
vert them to Christianity were cruelly tortured. This hatred 
of the French by the Iroquois was a good thing for the English 
colonists, for it prevented the former from moving southward 
from Canada. In all the wars between the English and the 
French colonists, the Iroquois fought on the side of the English. 




Quebec and Citadel in Early Times. 



38. The French Missionaries. — Although the fisheries and 
fur-trading led many Frenchmen to come to America, there 
were others who came for religious reasons. They wished to 
Christianize the natives. These missionaries were of the Jesuit 
order of the Roman Catholic Church. They eagerly desired to 
spread Christianity over all the world. They built rude houses 



36 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 




or stations in the interior of the continent and on the shores of 
the Great Lakes. Some of them suffered severely at the hands 



FRENCH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



37 



of the Indians, but no amount of pain and misery could make 
them give up their rehgious work. 

In 1673 Marquette and Joliet sailed 
along the Wisconsin River in a birch-bark 
canoe. They reached the Mississippi, which 
the Indians called the "Father of Waters." 
Continuing on their course they went down 
this great river to the mouth of the Arkan- 
sas. There they heard such reports of the 
hostility of the Indians that they were afraid 
to go further. The upper Mississippi was explored some years 
later by another French missionary, Father Hennepin. 




La Salle. 




La Salle on the Great Lakes. 



39. La Salle takes Possession of Louisiana. — The work 



38 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

begun by Marquette was completed by La Salle. He was 
perhaps the bravest and most persevering of all the French 
explorers. He launched the first vessel that ever sailed upon 
the Great Lakes. La Salle discovered the Ohio and Illinois 
Rivers. 

After a few years of great hardship, he finally launched 
his canoes on the Mississippi River and floated down that 
stream to its mouth. On the 9th of April, 1682, he took 
possession in the name of the King of France of the whole 
territory from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, eastward 
to the Alleghanies and westward to the Pacific Ocean. In 
honor of his monarch, Louis XIV., he gave to this region the 
name of Louisiana. 

40. The French Claim. — New France extended from 
New York to Labrador on the Atlantic, and embraced Acadia, 
Canada, and the region of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi 
River. It was based principally on the discoveries of Verra- 
zani, Champlain, and La Salle. 



CHAPTER V 
DUTCH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



41. The Trade with India. — At the time of the discoveries 
and explorations in America, Holland was one of the leading 
commercial nations of Europe. Being situated right on the 
Sea, the people were naturally interested in commerce and 
ship-building. The Dutch had long been carrying on a 
profitable trade with the East Indies, reaching these lands by 
sailing around Africa. When Portugal began to grow more 
powerful, the Dutch could no longer use this route with safety, 
and they became anxious to find another way of getting to 
India. 

42. The Discoveries of Henry Hudson. — In spite of the 
numerous failures of others, the 

Dutch thought that they might be 
successful in finding a way through 
America to Asia. For this purpose 
they employed Henry Hudson, an 
English navigator who happened to 
be in Holland at the time. He be- 
lieved that there was a strait through 
the New World and he thought it was 
located somewhere north of the Ches- 
apeake Bay. 

In 1609, the Half Moon, a strong little ship set out from 
Holland, with Henry Hudson as commander. In the summer 

39 




Henry Hudson. 



40 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



of the same year he reached the body of water which we now 
call New York Harbor. Thinking it was the strait he was 
seeking, he sailed up the bay and river as far north as the 
present city of Albany. During this trip Hudson made 
friends of the Indians, who came out in their canoes to visit 
him. As the water was no longer salt and the stream was 
getting much narrower, Hudson knew that this was not the 




The Half-Moon. 

long-sought- for strait. So he turned around and sailed back 
to Europe. 

Later, Hudson, in the employ of the English, made 
another attempt to find a passage to Asia. This time he 
sailed in a northwest direction and discovered the bay which 
bears his name. His crew, however, rebelled against him 
and turned him adrift in an open boat. Nothing more w^as 
ever heard of him. 



1 



DUTCH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 



41 



43. The Results of Hudson's Voyages. — Hudson's failure 
to find the strait north of the Chesapeake made people of 
Europe give up the attempt to find a passage through that 
part of the continent. 

Another important result of Hudson's first voyage v^as the 
setdement of that part of America by the Dutch. Hudson 
had brought back stories of the profitable fur trade which could 




Hudson Abandoned. 



be carried on with the Indians. Many Dutch merchants now 
sent expeditions to the New World. Trading stations were 
built at what is now called New York, and up the Hudson 
river near the present site of Albany. The Dutch captains 
also explored the Atlantic coast from Delaware Bay to New 
England. 



42 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

44. The Dutch Claim. — As a result of the voyages of 
Hudson, the Dutch laid claim to the land extending from 
Cape May to Nova Scotia and indefinitely westward. They 
called this region New Netherland. 

45. Conflict of Claims. — We have now studied something 
about the discoveries and explorations of the four leading 
nations of Europe — Spain, England, France, and Holland. 
If we look at the accompanying map, we can see how their 
claims conflicted. At first this conflict did not cause any 
trouble because there were so few white settlers in America. 
Later, when the country became more thickly settled, the 
disputes as to who owned the land led to bitter quarrels and 
wars. 




Conflict of Claims 



CHAPTER VI 
THE AMERICAN INDIANS 

46. How the Indians Received their Name— Their Appear= 
ance. — When Columbus called the natives of the country he 
had discovered "Indians," he thought he had reached the 
East Indies for which he had set sail. Even after it became 
known that a new continent, and not a part of India, had been 
discovered, the native inhabitants of this new continent con- 
tinued to be called Indians, and the name has clung to them 
to the present day. The colonists sometimes called the 
Indians "red men" or "red skins" because their skins were of 
a dark-red or copper color. 

The Indians were tall and well formed. Their hair was 
straight, coarse, and black. They had dark eyes, high cheek- 
bones, and very little, if any, beard. The women wore their 
hair long, but the men shaved off all but a small tuft at the top 
that was called the scalp-lock. The Indians would tear the 
scalp locks from the heads of the enemies they had killed and 
keep them as trophies of their bravery and skill as warriors. 
The Indian who had the largest collection of scalps was regarded 
as the greatest warrior. 

47. Indian Houses. — The Indians lived in rude tents called 
wigwams. A wigwam was made by covering a framework 
of poles with bark or with the skins of animals. The Indians 
could take up their wigwams quickly and a whole village could 
move in a day to a new place. 

43 



44 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



In some cases, instead of wigwams, the Indians had houses 
made of bark placed upon a rough framework 
of poles. These houses were shaped some- 
what like a long, low barn and were called 
"long houses." Inside they were divided off 
so that twenty or thirty families could live in 
one house. They had no chimneys, but there 
were holes in the roof through which the 
smoke from their fires could find its way. 

48. How the Indians Lived. — The Indians 
depended upon hunting and fishing for most 
of their food. Before the white man came 
they used bows and arrows, heavy clubs, and 
a kind of hatchet called a 
tomahawk, made by lashing 
a sharpened flint to a strong 
handle. They soon learned 
from the white man the use of 
the rifle and the iron hatchet 
and other tools and gave him 
valuable furs in exchange for 
them. The Indians also did 
a little rude farming. They 
raised Indian corn, pump- 
kins, tobacco, and some other 
plants. 

For clothing, the Indians 
used the skin of animals. 
Their shoes, called mocca- 

Snow-shoes. SlUS, Were made of buckskin. Tomahawk. 






THE AMERICAN INDIANS 



45 



They were tough and strong and enabled their wearers to 
travel through the woods rapidly and noiselessly. In winter, 
they strapped broad, flat snow-shoes upon their feet so that 
they could track game without sinking in the deep snow. 

There was so much enmity among 
the various tribes that Vs^ar was almost 
a regular occupation of the Indian 
men. The men also did the hunting 
and fishing. They made the women 
or ''squaws" do the farming and 
other hard work. In order to have 
her hands free to work, the Indian 
woman would often carry her baby 
or "papoose" strapped to a board 
upon her back. 

The Indians decorated themselves with strings of shells 
or beads called wampum. They sometimes used wampum as 
a kind of money. They had no system of written language, but 




Indian Squaw. 



SSiioiS 







Penn's Treaty Belt of Wampum. 



they sometimes made use of a kind of picture-writing, drawing 
pictures upon pieces of bark or skin to express their ideas. 



4 S-ED 



46 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

The Indians were filled with wonder at the ability of the white 
men to send messages by means of queer little black marks on 
paper. 

49. The Indian as Woodsman and Warrior. — Although the 
Indian could not read and write, he knew the woods like a book 
and studied the ways of animals. He could track game 
successfully or follow the trail of an enemy where the white 
man could find no signs to guide him. He built canoes of 
birch bark, light enough to be carried around dangerous rapids 
or from one stream to another, yet strong enough to carry him 
safely. In his canoe he could glide quietly and swiftly even 
where the lake or river was but a few inches in depth. 

Before going to battle the Indian put on war-paint to make 
himself as terrifying as possible. The Indian was a good 
fighter. Although cruel and treacherous, he was also coura- 
geous. He would ambush his enemies, fight from behind 
rocks and trees, and torture horribly those whom he took 
captive. He faced defeat bravely and would suffer torture 
with surprising fortitude. He feared that his enemies would 
call him a ''squaw," if he cried out or showed any sign of 
suffering. 

50. Government and Religion. — The Indians lived in tribes 
governed by chiefs. The chief was always one of the strongest 
and bravest men of the tribe. The people obeyed his orders 
and he was their leader in time of war. The older men of the 
tribe formed a council. They would meet together and decide 
important matters, such as war and treaties with other tribes 
or with the white men. 

The Iroquois tribes were the most powerful in colonial 
times. They formed a union of the tribes between the Great 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS 



47 



Lakes and Hudson River, which they called the Five Nations. 
The Five Nations drove other Indians from their territory and 
made neighboring tribes pay them tribute. 

The Indians worshipped a Great Spirit. They also 
believed in many evil spirits, whom they greatly feared. They 
thought that there was another life after death, where the 




Indians Attacking- Settlement. 



j coward would be punished, while the brave warrior would 
enter upon a joyous existence in the -'Happy Hunting 
Grounds." 

51. Relations with the White Settlers.— Although the 



48 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



Indians were savages, they had many good qualities. They 
could keep their word and seldom warred upon the whites 
without good cause. Where the white men treated them justly, 
as in the case of the Friends or Quakers in Pennsylvania, the 
Indians lived at peace with them for many years. In other 
cases, especially in the New England colonies, there were 
fierce and bloody wars between the "red men" and the 
*'pale faces." 

The f rench colonists got along very well with the Indians, 
with the exception of the Iroquois, whom they had offended. 
As we have learned, this exception was fortunate for the Eng- 
lish. The powerful Five Nations helped to keep the French 
from invading the territory of the English settlers. This 
aided the English greatly in keeping their foothold on the 
Atlantic coast, and in finally securing control of America. 




II 



Old Gate, St. Augustine. 



SUMMARY 49 

SUMMARY 
DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD BEFORE THE DISCOVERY OF 

AMERICA 

About four hundred years ago, the world was believed to be flat and 
the existence of America was not known. 

Several nations of Europe had been carrying on a profitable trade with 
eastern Asia. They reached India by sailing east on the Mediterranean 
Sea and then overland through Asia. When the Turks conquered Con- 
stantinople, this trade with India was almost entirely cut off. 

The commercial nations of Europe now became anxious to find new 
routes to India. The Portuguese attempted to reach India by sailing 
around Africa. In 1487 Bartholomew Dias discovered the Cape of 
Good Hope, and in 1497 Vasco da Qama succeeded in reaching India 
by sailing around Africa and across the Indian Ocean. 

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa, Italy, was a daring navi- 
gator, and one of the greatest geographers of his time. He believed that 
the earth was round, and that India could be reached by saihng west. 
Columbus tried for many years to secure ships with which to make this 
western voyage. At last King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain 
fitted out three ships for him. Columbus was made admiral of the fleet. 

The fleet left Palos, Spain, August 3, 1492. In spite of the entreaties 
and the threats of the frightened sailors, Columbus firmly refused to 
change his western course. On the morning of October 12, 1492, land 
was seen. Columbus thought this land was India. It was really one of 
the Bahama Islands. He landed, and took possession of the country in 
the name of the King of Spain. 

On his return to Spain, Columbus was received with great honor. 
He made three other voyages to the New World; in one of them, 1498; 
he touched the mainland of South America. 



50 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 

As gold and other treasures were not brought back by Columbus, his 
voyages were regarded as failures. He was neglected and despised. In 
1506 he died, a poor and miserable old man. He never knew that he 
had discovered a new continent, but died in the belief that he had 
found a western route to India. 

SPANISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 

The new continent was named America, for an Italian navigator 
Americus Vespucius. He had made several voyages to the New World, 
and published a book about his discoveries. In 1507 the name America 
first appeared on a map of the New World. 

After Columbus had shown the way, many expeditions were sent to 
the New World. These expeditions were undertaken for one or more of 
the following reasons: (i) To seek adventures; (2) to find treasures; (3) to 
carry on trade; (4) to claim land for the mother country; (5) to convert 
the Indians; (6) to find a passage through the New World to India; (7) 
to plant colonies. 

In 1513 Ponce de Leon, in search for the *' Fountain of Youth," 
discovered and named Florida. 

In the same year Balboa climbed a mountain peak on the Isthmus 
of Panama, and discovered the Pacific Ocean. 

Ferdinand Magellan set sail in search of a passage through Amer- 
ica to India. In 1520 he sailed through the straits which bear his name, 
into the Pacific Ocean. He continued his voyage across the Pacific to 
the Philippine Islands, where he was killed in a battle with the natives. 
One of the vessels succeeded in reaching Spain. This was the first 
circumnavigation of the world. 

In 1 5 41 de Soto, while on an expedition in search of treasure, dis- 
covered the Mississippi River. 

The first permanent settlement in this country was made by the 
Spanish, under Menendez, at St. Augustine in 1565. 

Santa Fe, the second oldest town in the United States, was founded 
by Spanish missionaries in 1605. 

The Spanish claim (see par. 26). 



SUMMARY 51 



ENGLISH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 

In 1497 John Cabot, an Italian navigator, sailed from England to 
the New World. He discovered the mainland of North America. In the 
next year, he and his son Sebastian explored the coast from Canada to 
South Carolina. 

In 1577 Sir Francis Drake commanded a piratical expedition 
against the Spanish in America. He sailed up the Pacific coast as far 
as California, which he claimed for England. 

Sir Walter Raleigh made two attempts to found colonies in Amer- 
ica. They were both failures. The colonists introduced the potato and 
tobacco into England. 

The English claim (see par. 32). 

FRENCH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 

Frenchmen first made voyages to the New World on account of the 
fisheries and fur trade. 

In 1524 Verrazani, in search of a northwest passage, explored the 
coast from North Carolina to New England. 

In 1534 Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence River as far as Montreal. 
He named the entire region New France. 

In 1604 the first permanent French settlement in America was made 
at Port Royal. 

In 1608 Champlain founded Quebec. The next year he discovered 
Lake Champlain. He made bitter enemies of the Iroquois Indians. Later, 
this powerful tribe sided with the English against the French. 

Marquette, Joliet, and Hennepin explored the Great Lakes and 
the Mississippi Valley. They established many trading posts and mis 
sions. 

La Salle discovered the Ohio and lUinois Rivers, and canoed dowr 
the Mississippi to its mouth. In 1583 he took possession of Louisiana 
in the name of the King of France. 

The French claim (see par. 39). 



52 



DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION 



' DUTCH DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATIONS 

Henry Hudson, an English navigator, was employed by the Dutch 
to seek a passage through America to India. 

In 1609 he sailed in the Half Moon to New York Bay and up the 
Hudson River. He later discovered Hudson Bay. 

As a result of Hudson's discoveries, stations to carry on the fur trade 
with the Indians were estabHshed by the Dutch. 

The Dutch claim (see par. 45). 



PART II 
ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



INTRODUCTION 



52. The Planting of Colonies. — Even while the discoveries 
and explorations of America were being made, several of the 
nations of Europe attempted to plant colonies in the New World, 
that is, they sent out companies of men and women to make 
setdements and to build homes for themselves in the newly 
discovered countries. Spain, England, France, and Holland 
were the leading nations in this work of colonization. 

If this book were a history of America, it would be necessary 
to describe a great many of these colonies, particularly the 
Spanish and Portuguese settlements of South America. But 
as it is simply a history of the United States, only the settle- 
ments in that part of America are of interest to us. As the 
English finally got possession of nearly the whole region 
now called the United States, it is the history of these English 
colonies which we must study most thoroughly. 

53. The London and Plymouth Companies. — We have 
learned that the English claim had been called Virginia, 
in honor of Elizabeth, the virgin queen. It extended from 
Florida to Canada and westward to the Pacific Ocean. People 

53 



54 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



of those days had no idea of how wide America really was. 
Henry Hudson and others had sailed up several eastern rivers 
in the hope of reaching the Pacific Ocean. 

In 1606, King James I., of England, chartered two com- 
panies, giving them the right to plant colonies within the 
English claim. The London Company was to have control 
of the land between 34° and 2>^° north latitude, that is, from 




107 Loagituiie West 97 from Greenwich 



Cape Fear to the Potomac river. This tract was called 
South Virginia. 

The other company, known as the Plymouth Company, 
was to control the land between 41° and 45°, that is, from 
Long Island to Canada. This was called North Virgin ia. 
The land lying between North and South Virginia could be 
colonized by either company. 



CHAPTER VII 
THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 

^ I. VIRGINIA 

54, The Settlement of Jamestown. — In 1607, the year after 
it received its charter, the London Company sent out three 
ships to America. On board these ships were nearly 150 
colonists, but there were no women among them. The party 
was composed mostly of "gentlemen," that is, men not used 
to work. There were no farmers among these colonists. 
They had gone to America, not to work, but to get rich 
quickly. With such a poor company of men there could be 
but little hope of a successful colony in a wilderness. 

Captain Newport, the commander of the fleet, had been 
ordered to land at Roanoke Island, but a storm drove the 
ships northward. They finally reached Chesapeake Bay. 
After cruising about for a few weeks and exploring the coast, 
they at last landed on a peninsula. May 13, 1607. They named 
their settlement Jamestown, in honor of King James. 

55. John Smith. — One of the men who had sailed with this 
expedition was John Smith. Nearly his whole life he had 
been a daring adventurer. He had shown great bravery in 
the many wars in which he had fought. On one occasion, 
when the Christians and Mohammedans were at war, he had 
been chosen to engage in single combat against a Turkish 
warrior. In the presence of the entire army he had defeated 

55 



56 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



the Turk and beheaded him. Later he was taken prisoner by 
a Turkish general and kept as a slave. He escaped by beating 
out his master's brains with a club. He fled in disguise, 
travelled through Europe and Africa, and at last, after many 
adventures, reached his native land, England. 

When Smith heard of the expedition starting for America, 

it is not surprising 
that he was anxious 
to join the crew. In 
the course of the 
voyage he was guilty 
of some offense, per- 
haps mutiny, and 
when they landed in 
Virginia he was a 
prisoner in chains. 
He was soon re- 
leased, however, and 
it was well for the 
colony that he was. 
Without John Smith 
the colony would 
probably have been 
as bad a failure as 
Raleigh's. 

56. What Smith did for the Colony.— The London Com- 
pany in England who had sent out the colony were anxious 
that a passage to the Pacific should be discovered. So Smith 
spent much of his time in cruising along the Chesapeake Bay 
and sailing up the rivers of that region in search of such a 




Captain John Smith (Old Print). 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 



57 



passage. Although these attempts were unsuccessful, Smith 
learned a good deal about the country and had many exciting 
adventures. 

On one occasion Smith was taken prisoner by the Indians 
and was saved from death, it is said, by the pleading of Poca- 
hontas, the daughter of the Chief, Powhatan. Smith seemed 
to know how to deal with the Indians, and he often obtained 
food for the settlers from the savage red men. 




Smith Barg-aining". 



57. How Smith made the Colonists Work.— The ''gentle- 
men" who had settled Jamestown were not used to work. 
They had come to America to make their fortunes, not to 
engage in hard labor. It happened one day that one of the 
settlers found a piece of yellow material which looked like gold. 
It was really a kind of iron ore. In spite of Smith's advice, 



58 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

they all got to work digging and at last had a whole shipload 
of the worthless stuff. Smith allowed it to be sent to England. 
He was anxious to get rid of the ship anyhow, as it was little 
less than a floating tavern. 

Smith at last succeeded in forcing tHe lazy settlers to work 
by making the rule that if they did not work, they should 
receive nothing to eat. Rather than go hungry, even these 
gentlemen decided that they would soil their hands with labor. 

At first the settlers had considerable trouble with the 
Indians, but Smith gradually won the friendship of the savages, 
especially of the powerful chief, Powhatan. The Indians 
looked upon Captain Smith as a kind of magician or god. 

The settlers now began to build themselves better houses, 
and the colony seemed to be prospering. Unfortunately, 
something now happened which put an end to the prosperity 
for a time. In 1609 they lost their leader, Captain Smith. 
He was badly injured by an explosion of gunpowder, and left 
Virginia, never to return. 

58. Sufferings of the Colonists. — When Smith left the 
colony, there was no one able to take his place properly. When 
the Indians found out that Smith had returned to England, 
they began to attack the settlers. They could no longer 
procure food from the red men. Matters went from bad to 
worse. The winter of 1609-10 is often called the '-^starving 
time." 

Although new colonists, women as well as men, had come 
over, by the spring of 1610 nine-tenths of the people had died. 
The remaining fifty or sixty colonists were now utterly hope- 
less, so they decided to desert the settlement and return to 
England. 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 



59 



59. The Arrival of Lord Delaware. — The colonists had 
actually set sail when they were met by a fleet of ships com- 
manded by Lord Delaware. He had been sent out by the 
London Company as Governor of the Colony. He persuaded 
the discouraged settlers to return to Jamestown. As Delaware's 




Indians Attacking- Colonists in Virg-inia. 

fleet had plenty of supplies on board, they wiUingly returned 
I and the settlement was saved. 

60. Governor Dale. — Lord Delaware did not stay in 
I Virginia long. He was succeeded by Governor Dale, a very 
j strict man. Although Dale's rule was so severe that some 



6o ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

would call him cruel, there is no doubt that the lazy and 
worthless settlers needed a firm hand. 

The best thing that Dale did for the colony was to give to 
each man a piece of land where he could work for himself. 
A man will work harder if he knows he can have the results 
of his own labor. Before this change, there had been "com- 
munism" in the colony. This meant that the settlers, instead 
of working, each man for himself, worked for all. So long as 
the lazy men got their share they were perfectly willing that 
the industrious ones should work all the harder. 

61. The Raising of Tobacco. — After the introduction of 
tobacco into England by Sir Walter Raleigh, the people of 
Europe learned to enjoy smoking. Although King James 
said that the use of tobacco was dangerous and disgusting, the 
people went on smoking just the same. There was soon a 
great demand for tobacco. 

In 1612 the tobacco plant began to be systematically 
grown in Virginia, and soon this crop was the principal export 
of the new colony. Many shiploads of tobacco were taken 
from the plantations along the James River and sent to England. 

This trade was an excellent thing for the young colony. 
It made Virginia prosperous and led to a much better class of 
settlers coming over from England. Instead of the lazy and 
criminal people who had formed the largest part of the colony 
at first, there now emigrated to Virginia men of some means 
and also many farmers. These men knew how to take care 
of the land and the large profits from the raising of tobacco 
led to a rapid increase in the extent of cultivated land. 

62. Introduction of Slavery. — There was, however, one bad 
result of the tobacco industry, and that was the introduction of 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 



6l 



slavery. In August, 1619, a Dutch ship sailed up the James 
River, containing a number of African negroes. Twenty of 
them were sold to the colonists as slaves. They were found 
to be very useful on the tobacco plantations and later many 
more slaves were bought. 




Beg-inning- of Slavery. 



The system of slavery thus started in Virginia soon spread 
to the other colonies. In the south, the slaves were used in 
agriculture and they rapidly increased in numbers. Fifty 
years after the landing of the first negroes there were 2000 
slaves in the colony of Virginia. 

5 S-ED 



62 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

63. The Government of Virginia. — Up to i6ig the colonists 
had Httle or nothing to say about their own government. They 
were obhged to obey the governors who were sent over from 
England by the London Company. Often these governors 
were severe and unjust. They did all they could to increase the 
profits of the Company which had sent them over, and they 
did not care much whether the colonists liked their actions 
or not. 

In 1619, the people of Virginia (there were about 4000 of 
them at that time) appealed to the London Company to allow 
them to have a voice in their government. The Company 
agreed to their demands. Governor Yeardley was sent over 
and he at once ordered each borough or plantation to elect two 
representatives. These representatives were to have some- 
thing to say in regard to making laws for the colony. They 
were called the House of Burgesses. Together with the 
Governor and Council appointed by the Company, they formed 
the law-making body or Assembly. This was the first elective 
assembly ever held in America. It was the first great step 
toward our present Republican form of government. It met 
in Jamestown July 30, 1619. 

In 1624, the King of England took Virginia away from the 
London Company. From that time until the Revolution 
Virginia was a Royal Colony; that is, the Governor and 
Council were chosen by the King. The people, however, still 
elected their House of Burgesses. 

64. Troubles with the Indians. — So long as Powhatan 
lived, the colonists and the Indians got on fairly well together. 
The friendship of this great Chief was one of the principal 
things which Smith had accomplished for the colony. In 161 8, 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 63 

Powhatan died and his brother, Opechankans, became chief 
of the tribe. Although the new Indian chief said he was 
friendly to the white settlers, he really hated them. 

The Indians were jealous of the colonists. They thought 
that their land was being taken away from them and that 
they were not getting a just return for it. So they y^aited their 
chance for revenge. On the morning of March 22, 1622, a 
terrible massacre began. Men, women, and children were 
cruelly butchered by the Indians, who swooped down suddenly 
upon the plantations. Jamestown and the surrounding region 
were saved from destruction because an Indian had warned 
them of the intended massacre. 

After this first outbreak the Indians continued to attack the 
colonists, who in turn killed many of the red men. Nearly 
half of the settlers were killed before the war came to an end. 
John Smith, then living in London, wanted to take troops over 
to help the colonists. But the King would not grant his 
request and the settlers had to do their fighting as best they 
could. 

Another Indian massacre occurred in 1644. The treacher- 
ous Indians again surprised the white settlers and killed about 
500 of them. The savages were finally driven back from the 
more settled parts of the colony. 

65. Bacon's Rebellion. — One of the worst Governors ever 
sent to Virginia was the tyrant Berkeley. He would allow no 
printing-press nor school in the colony. He thought the people 
could be ruled more easily and revolutions prevented if they 
were kept ignorant. 

In 1676 the Indians again went upon the war-path. They 
now attacked the settlers along the frontiers. On being asked 



64 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



to send aid, Governor Berkeley refused. He knew that the 
people hated him and he was afraid that the troops might turn 
against him. 

One of the plantation owners was a young lawyer named 
Nathaniel Bacon. When his own land was attacked, he 
raised a force himself and defeated the Indians. Governor 




Bacon Arrested. 



Berkeley became terribly angry when he heard of Bacon's 
independent action. He called Bacon a traitor and his men 
rebels. The ''rebels" then marched upon Jamestown and 
burnt it to the ground. It was never rebuilt. 

Shortly afterward. Bacon died, and his men, having no 
leader, dispersed. Berkeley had more than twenty of the 
''rebels" hanged. When King Charles II. heard of this he 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 



65 



ordered Berkeley to return at once to England and repri- 
manded him severely. With other and better governors, 




Burning of Jamestown. 



the colony now prospered, and the people grew in wealth 
and happiness. 



66 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



§2. MARYLAND 

66. Sir George Calvert. — To Sir George Calvert, or the 
first Lord Baltimore, as he is generally called, is due the credit 
for starting the movement by which Maryland v^as settled. 
He was an English nobleman of high social and political rank, 
and w^as a favorite both of King James I. and of his son. King 
Charles of England. He had served as Secretary of State 
under the former, and had been invited by the latter to be a 
member of his Council. At an early date he became much 
interested in the settlement of American colonies. He had 
been a member both of the Virginia and the Massachusetts 

Companies, and he tried to plant a 
colony in New Foundland. He 
was forced to give it up on ac- 
count of the cold climate. 

He next went to Virginia, but 
as he was a Roman Catholic, and 
as the feeling at that time between 
Protestants and Roman Catholics 
was very bitter, he was not cor- 
dially received there and he stayed 
but a short time. Later, Baltimore 
cruised up the Chesapeake Bay and explored the region north 
of the Potomac. He found a fertile soil and pleasant climate, 
and he was so charmed with the country that he made up his 
mind it would be a good place for his settlement. 

67. The Maryland Grant.— Virginia had lost its charter 
and had become a royal colony in 1624. The land now, instead 
of belonging to the London Company, belonged to the King. 
When Baltimore asked Charles L for the territory north of the 




Lord Baltimore. 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 67 

Potomac, it was granted to him without delay, as the King 
and Baltimore, as has been said, were good friends. The 
province was named Maryland in honor of Henrietta Maria, 
the Queen of England. Lord Baltimore died, however, before 
the charter was made out, so it was made in the name of his son, 
Cecilius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, on June 20, 1632. 

The grant extended from the Potomac River to the Atlantic 
Ocean and northward to the 40th parallel. It, therefore, in- 
cluded a part of Pennsylvania and all of the present state of 
Delaware. The charter gave to Lord Baltimore almost kingly 
power over the colony. All he was required to do was to send 
every year to the King of England two Indian arrow-heads and 
one-fifth of all the gold and silver mined. He was to be called 
the Lord Proprietary of the colony. One power that he did not 
have was the right to tax the people without their consent. Of 
course, no laws could be passed contrary to the laws of England. 

68. The Beginning of Maryland. — After much delay in 
overcoming the many difficulties connected with such a move- 
ment at that time, two small ships, the Ark and the Dove, were 
fitted out, and with about 300 colonists left England on Novem- 
ber 22, 1633. They landed on St. Clement's Island near the 
mouth of the Potomac River, on the twenty-fifth day of March, 
1634. Two days later they sailed into the St. Mary's River, 
a tributary of the Potomac, and made a permanent settlement 
on its east bank. They named it St. Mary's, in honor of the 
Virgin Mary. The colony was in charge of Governor Leonard 
Calvert, Lord Baltimore's brother. One of the colonists. 
Father Andrew White, a Roman Catholic priest, conducted 
services in the wigwam of an Indian chief at St. Mary's. This 
was the first English Roman Catholic Church in America, 



68 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

69. Religious Freedom. — Cecilius, Lord Baltimore, like his 
father, was a broad-minded man and a far-sighted statesman, 
as his plans for the Maryland settlement clearly show. He did 
not do as the Virginia and Massachusetts settlers had done, 
that is, permit only people of their own religious faith to live 
with them. 

Lord Baltimore wanted the privileges which he expected to 
enjoy to be shared by all others, and to that end he invited all 
Christian people to make Maryland their home. There they 
should have religious peace, and could worship in whatever 
creed their conscience told them was best. This invitation, 
it is true, was only extended to Christians, but the Jews also 
wanted to live in Maryland, and when they came they were 
given the same protection in the matters of their religion which 
was accorded to all others. This was an age when people 
everywhere who did not belong to the established church of the 
country in which they lived had to suffer much on account of 
their religion, and the right to perfect freedom in religious wor- 
ship was not then to be found in any other land. 

70. Political Freedom. — ^Not only were the settlers in 
Maryland to have religious freedom, but they could have all 
other rights in Maryland which belonged to a free state and a 
free people, such as being made secure in their property, and 
being protected in the exercise of their rights as free men, 
both as individuals and as members of the community. They 
could also help to make the laws for the colony, and in that 
way learn to govern themselves and to become useful citizens. 
This was the strong foundation upon which Maryland was 
built. It was not specially designed for the benefit of any 
particular church or for the people of any particular country, 
but its blessings were to extend to all alike who chose to come 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 69 

within its shelter, and to this Hberal policy the success of the 
Maryland Colony was largely due. 

71. Growth of the Colony. — From the very beginning of 
the colony there was but little trouble with the Indians. 
The tribes that lived in that region were already leaving it, as 
they found a more powerful tribe was going to attack them. 
They sold their land to the settlers, and taught them how to 
plant corn and do many other things that proved to be useful. 

Crops of tobacco and grain were successfully raised. A 
profitable commerce began to grow up, and towns and cities 
were established. In 1649 some Puritans from Massachusetts 
settled the town of Providence. Its name was afterward 
changed to Annapolis, in honor of Queen Anne, and it became 
the capital of the colony. Baltimore, named in honor of Lord 
Baltimore, was founded in 1729. 

72. Clayborne's Rebellion — Persecution of the Catholics. — 
Although Maryland had scarcely any trouble with the Indians, 
there were many disturbances among the colonists themselves. 
Before the Maryland charter was granted, a Virginia settler 
named William Clayborne had established a profitable trad- 
ing station on Kent Island in Chesapeake Bay. Maryland 
claimed that this island belonged to her, but Clayborne would 
not give it up until he was driven out by Lord Baltimore's men. 

In 1645, while the Puritans of England were rebelling against 
King Charles L, Clayborne stirred up the people of Maryland 
to overthrow Baltimore's government. They got possession 
of St. Mary's and forced Father White, a Catholic clergyman, 
to return to England as a prisoner. Then the right to vote 
or hold office was taken away from the Catholics and no 
Catholic worship was permitted in the colony. Lord Balti- 
more was also deprived of the proprietorship. 



yo ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

In 1658, Lord Baltimore was restored to his rights and 
freedom of rehgion was again estabhshed. Later, the Church 
of England was made the established Church of Maryland and 
all the colonists were taxed to support it. From that time until 
the Revolution public worship by Roman Catholics was not 
allowed in the colony. 

73. Mason and Dixon's Line. — The grants of land in America 
were not made carefully when the colonies were being founded. 
It is no wonder, therefore, that there were disputes about 
boundaries. Pennsylvania had been granted to Penn, and 
there was considerable doubt as to just how far south the 
colony extended. 

To settle the trouble, two surveyors were chosen to establish 
a boundary line which would be satisfactory to both the 
colonies. Their names were Charles Mason and Jeremiah 
Dixon. They worked at this survey from 1763 to 1767. 
Every five miles they placed a stone with William Penn's 
Coat of Arms on the north side and Lord Baltimore's on the 
south side. 

The line the surveyors marked out is the present boundary 
line of the States of Pennsylvania and Maryland. It is the 
famous Mason and Dixon's line, which up to the Civil War 
was regarded as dividing the free from the slave States. 

§ 3. THE CAROLINAS 

74. Failure of the Early Settlements. — Long before Virginia 
was settled, attempts had been made by the French, by the 
English, and by the Spanish to found colonies in the territory 
south of Virginia. The Spanish succeeded in establishing 
a permanent settlement at St. Augustine, but all the early 
attempts of the French and the English failed. For many 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 7 1 

years the large tract of land between Virginia and the Spanish 
settlements in Florida was not inhabited by white men. It 
was a great hunting-ground for Indian tribes. 

75. Land Given to English Proprietors. — King Charles II. 
of England wished to reward some of his friends. The easiest 
way to do this was to give to them some of the vast wilderness 
in America that he claimed as his own. In 1663 he granted to 
a group of eight noblemen a great tract south of Virginia. 
Two years later the parallels of 30° and 36° 30' north latitude 
were fixed as the boundaries of this territory. It reached nearly 
to St. Augustine and included part of the land claimed by the 
Spaniards. Its eastern and western boundaries were the 
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 

King Charles did not have a very good idea of the size of 
the land he was giving away. He knew even less about its 
great value. The French, about a hundred years before this, 
had named the land Carolina, in honor of King Charles IX. 
of France. As the King of England was also named Charles, 
the English proprietors retained this name in his honor. 

76. Permanent Settlements. — Some emigrants from Virginia 
had settled near Albemarle Sound a few years before the king 
gave this territory to his friends. The proprietors wanted 
settlers for their land, so they were glad to have these early 
comers remain. Albemarle, 1653, was thus the first permanent 
settlement of what afterward was known as North Carolina. 

In 1670 the proprietors, who had formed a company, 
sent several shiploads of colonists over from England. They 
named the place they settled Charles Towne, afterward called 
Charleston. This was the first permanent settlement in South 
Carolina. 



72 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

77. The ''Grand Model."— When the King made this 
great grant of land, he also gave the proprietors full power 
to rule it. Unlike Lord Baltimore and William Penn, they 
did not use this power wisely. They had a constitution, or set 
of laws, called the ''Grand Model," drawn up for the colony. 
According to this plan the rich were to be given titles of nobility, 
while the poor people were to be treated almost like slaves. 

"Grand Muddle" would have been a better name for this 
foolish plan. The colonists either angrily refused to obey 
it or went quietly about their business of making homes in 
the wilderness without paying any attention to it. At last 
the proprietors gave up the attempt to govern the people 
according to the Grand Model. It is said that John Locke, 
the great English philosopher, was the author of the plan, but 
it is hard to believe so wise a man could have made so bad 
a blunder. 

78. Growth of the Colonies. — For many years the Carolinas 
grew very slowly. They had a mixed population of French 
Huguenots, Friends, Scotch, Irish, and Swiss. They got 
along pretty well together and enjoyed religious freedom. 
The people engaged in farming. Slavery was introduced 
and spread rapidly. In North Carolina tobacco was raised, 
and lumber, tar, pitch, and turpentine were obtained from 
the pine forests. 

The real prosperity of the colonies, especially that of 
South Carolina, began after it was discovered that rice and 
indigo could be grown there with profit. Large crops of these 
valuable staples were raised, and an extensive commerce grew 
up. Charleston soon became the most important city of the 
South. 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 73 

79. North and South Carolina Formed. — The proprietors 
did not plan to have separate colonies, but the settlements 
of northern and southern Carolina were far apart and some- 
times each had a Governor of its own. The proprietors found 
that they were not making as much money as they had expected 
from these colonies. Their plan of government also was 
unpopular and unsuccessful. In 1729 they sold their rights 
to the King. Carolina was then divided into two distinct 
royal provinces. 

• §4» GEORGIA 

80. Spanish Jealousy of English Colonies. — Although the 
Spaniards had not extended their colony beyond St. Augustine, 
they strongly objected to the English settling upon the land 
which they claimed. The Spaniards of Florida were not 
strong enough to fight the English colonies in Carolina, so 
they stirred up the Indians to make war against the English. 
The English colonists lost heavily by this warfare, but suc- 
ceeded in holding the Indians in check. 

81. James Oglethorpe's Plan. — James Olgethorpe, an 
English soldier and a gentleman of fine character, thought 
it would be a good plan to found an English colony between 
South Carolina and Florida. He thought in this manner to 
prevent the Spanish getting a foothold on this land, and to 
protect the English colonies against both the Spanish and 
the Indians. 

Oglethorpe had another end in view in founding this colony. 
In those days people who could not pay their debts were 
thrown into prison. The debtors' prisons were barbarous 
places where thousands of poor persons were unjustly or even 




74 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

brutally treated. Oglethorpe wanted to release as many as 
possible of these prisoners, and give them a chance to start 
life over again in the New World. 

82. Oglethorpe Secures a Grant of Land. — Oglethorpe was 
a member of the English Parliament, and 
a man of influence in his country. He 
interested many people in his ideas, and 
formed an association which finally per- 
suaded King George II. to grant them a 
tract of land ^'in trust for the poor," 
where they might establish a colony in 
America. 

The 8:rant of land was made in 1732. 

Oglethorpe. ^ V i i i m i i 

It extended between the bavannah ana 
the Altamaha rivers, and was given the name of Georgia 
in honor of the King. The trustees were given full powei 
to rule the colony. 

83. The Settlement of Savannah. — Parliament gave money 
to carry out Oglethorpe's plans, and he secured contributions 
from many private individuals. An expedition was organized 
in 1732, and Oglethrope himself came to America with the 
colonists. In 1733 they founded Savannah on the Savannah 
river. The poor and oppressed of other lands were welcomed 
to the colony, and soon many Germans and Scotchmen made 
settlements in Georgia. 

84. Growth of the Colony. — At first the colony grew very 
slowly. There was some trouble with the Spaniards, but 
Oglethorpe was a good soldier and fought them so successfully 
that they never dared thereafter to invade English territory. 

The people of Georgia were not allowed to make their 



THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 75. 

own laws, but were under the rule of the "Trustees." Ogle- 
thorpe was a good Governor, but after he returned to England 
the people became more and more dissatisfied with the regu- 
lations of the Trustees. In 1752 the Trustees surrendered 
their charter to the King, and Georgia became a royal province. 
After this the colony grew more rapidly. Rice and indigo 
were raised in large quantities on the plantations. The 
people also engaged in lumbering, and an important com- 
merce, especially with the West Indies, sprang up. 

§5. LIFE IN THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 

85. Character of the People. — The people who settled the 
southern colonies were very different in character from the 
Puritans who settled New England. The southern colonists 
came to America in search of gold or other riches. Some 
were men of roving disposition, looking for exciting adven- 
tures. Many of them were "gentlemen" with aristocratic 
ideas and not used to work of any kind. 

The southern colonists were not, as a rule, so deeply re- 
ligious as the Puritans. Although people were persecuted in 
the south on account of their religious beliefs, there was more 
religious freedom there than among the strict New Englanders. 
In Maryland almost complete religious freedom was per- 
mitted, and this colony became an asylum for oppressed 
people. 

86. Plantation Life. — The first settlers had no thought 
of farming, but they were obliged to turn to it later. The 
discovery of the value of tobacco in Virginia, and of rice and 
indigo in the Carolinas and Georgia, led to the cultivation of 
large plantations. Here the rich land-owner lived like an 



76 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

English country gentleman on a large estate. Slavery increased 
rapidly, because the negroes were very useful as laborers ori 
the plantations. The poor white man was obliged to labor 
upon the plantations, as there were few small farms which he 
could own for himself. Negro slavery made all labor seem 
degrading, and the white laborer was looked upon as little 
better than a slave. 

87. Education in the Southern Colonies. — The plantations 
were scattered great distances apart. There were no large 
cities and but few towns. There were no free schools and but 
few schools of any kind. The rich planters either employed 
tutors for their children or sent them" to England to be edu- 
cated; of course, the poor people could not afford this. Almost 
all the negroes and many of the poor whites grew up without 
learning even to read and write. 

A college called William and Mary College, however, 
was founded in Virginia. It was the second college to be 
established in the colonies, and is an important seat of learn- 
ing to-day. 



Summary 



77 



SUMMARY 
THE SOUTHERN COLONIES 

In 1606, King James I. chartered the London and the Plymouth 

companies. The London Company controlled South Virginia, and the 
Plymouth Company controlled North Virginia. 

Virginia. — Jamestown was settled May 13, 1607. The colony was 
composed largely of ''gentlemen" not used to work. John Smith's 
bravery and good management saved the colony from failure. He made 
the colonists work and gained the friendship of the Indians. 

The colonists endured great hardships. Lord Delaware brought ship- 
ioads of supplies, and saved the colony just as it was about to be abandoned. 

Governor Dale gave to each man a piece of land, where he could work 
for himself and enjoy the fruits of his own labor. The raising of tobacco 
became a profitable industry, and made the colony prosperous. 

In 1619, slavery was introduced, and it spread rapidly. In the same 
year the people of Virginia were given the right to elect representatives to 
make laws for them. The House of Burgesses was the first elective 
assembly ever held in America. In 1624, Virginia became a royal province. 

After the death of Powhatan, there were several Indian wars. Finally, 
the red men were driven back from the settlements. 

Maryland. — Lord Baltimore founded Maryland. In 1634, a 
settlement was made at St. Mary's, near the Potomac River. In 
1649, Providence (later called Annapolis) was founded by Puritans. 
The city of Baltimore was founded in 1729. 

Christians of all denominations were allowed to live in Maryland. 
The Indians were friendly and taught the colonists how to plant corn. 
Crops of tobacco were also successfully raised. 

There were many rehgious troubles, and in the latter history of the 
colony CathoHc public worship was not allowed. 

Mason and Dixon surveyed and established the boundary line be- 
tween Maryland and Pennsylvania in 1767. 

6S-ED 



78 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

The descendants of Lord Baltimore ruled the colony as proprietors 
up to the time of the Revolution. 

The Carolinas.— In 1663, King Charles 11. granted to a group of 
English noblemen a tract of land named Carolina. The first permanent 
settlement had been made by emigrants from Virginia at Albemarle in 
1653. The first permanent settlement in South Carolina was made at 
Charleston in 1670. 

The colonies had a mixed population and enjoyed religious freedom. 
Their prosperity was largely due to the raising of rice and indigo^ 

The proprietors at first attempted to rule the colony according to a plan 
known as the Grand Model. This was not successful. The proprietors 
then sold their rights to the King, 1729. The colony was divided into 
North and South Carolina, which were ruled as royal provinces. 

Georgia. — In 1 732, James Oglethorpe secured from King George II. 
a grant of land between South Carolina and Florida. He wished to prevent 
the Spaniards from gaining a foothold in this region. He also wished to 
establish a refuge for the ill-used debtors of England and for the oppressed 
of other countries. 

Savannah was founded in 1733. The raising of rice and indigo 
and lumbering became important industries. 

The rule of the Trustees was unsatisfactory, and in 1752 Georgia 
became a royal province. 



CHAPTER VIII 
THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 

§ L MASSACHUSETTS 

88. The Pilgrims. — Although Captain John Smith had 
explored the coast of New England and had drawn a map 
of it, no permanent settlement was made there until 1620. 
It was setded in that year by people who were perse- 
cuted and treated cruelly for not following the religious 
ceremonies of the established Church of England. When 
they were no longer able to stand these persecutions, a 
number of them decided to leave England. 

First they went to Holland, where they were permitted to 
hold their religious services without interference. After living 
in that country for a while they began to fear that their 
children would grow up speaking the Dutch language instead 
of English, and would also learn the ways of the Hollanders. 
Although they had been treated so badly in England, still 
they loved their native land, especially its language and its 
customs. They decided, therefore, to seek refuge in the New 
World — America. 

In 1620, these Pilgrims, as they were called on account 
of their wanderings, sailed from Holland to England and ob- 
tained permission from the King to make a settlement in 
America. Some English merchants loaned them the money 
needed to fit out the expedition. 

89. The Mayflower.— On September 16, 1620, the May- 

79 



8o 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 




Mayflower. 



flower, with its little crew of 102 men, women, and children, set 

sail for America. They 
had not gone on this 
dangerous expedition 
for the sake of gain- 
ing riches, as the Vir- 
ginia settlers had done. 
Freedom to worship 
God according to their 
own conscience was the 
only reason which led 
these men and women 
to give up their own 

homes and risk the dangers of life in the wilderness. 

After a stormy trip, the Mayflower reached Cape Cod late 

in November. Just 

before landing, some 

of the leading Pil- 
grims had made an 

agreement or ^'com- 
pact" in regard to 

the government of 

the colony. They 

decided that they 

would choose their 

own governors and 

make their own laws. 

90. The Settle= compact on Mayflower. 

ment of Plymouth. — After cruising about for a while and ex- 
ploring the coast, a settlement was made at a place which 




THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 



8l 



Captain Smith had named Plymouth on his map of the region. 
The landing was made December 21, 1620, on a large rock. 
Plymouth Rock, as it is called, is one of the greatest historic 
places in New England to-day. Countless visitors have gazed 
with interest at the granite boulder where the brave Pilgrims 
are supposed to have landed. 







Al^^^j 



Landing of the Pilgrims. 



91. Sufferings of the Settlers.— The Pilgrims were spared 
one danger which they had greatly feared. There were at 
first no Indians in the region to molest them. A terrible sick- 
ness or plague had killed many of the Indians, and so the 
Pilgrims found the land unoccupied. 

The winter was a very severe one, much colder than the 



82 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



winter weather they had been used to in England. Besides 

this, the colonists did not have 
proper food or houses. By the 
end of the winter about half of 
the Pilgrims had died. No 
amount of suffering, however, 
could discourage them, and 
none of them deserted the 
settlement, although they could 
have sailed back on the May- 
flower, which returned to Eng- 
land in April. 

92. The Leading Men of 

Plymouth. — We have learned 

how the Virginia Colony was 

saved by the energy and bold- 

Luckily for the Pilgrims, there was 




Plymouth Rock Monument. 



ness of Captain Smith, 
also among them a bold and 
capable leader. His name was 
Miles Standish. Although he 
was short in stature, he was 
broad shouldered and strong. 
He made up in courage what he 
lacked in height. It is doubt- 
ful whether the colony would 
have lasted had it not been for 
Captain Standish. He was the 
military leader of the Pilgrims. 
While Standish and some 
of his brave followers were 




First New England Settlements. 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 

parleying with the Indians, the Httle captain sud- 
denly sprang at a big chief who had ridiculed him. 
Seizing the Indian's knife, Standish plunged it 
into his heart. In the fight which followed, the 
rest of the Indians were killed or put to flight. 
Acts of daring, such as this, made the red men 
have more respect for the white settlers. 

Another leader of the Plymouth Colony was 
William Bradford. He was governor, except for 
five years, from 1621 to 1657, the year of his 
death. He governed the people well. At any 
rate, they were so well satisfied with him that 
they elected him governor over and over again. 

Early in 162 1 a treaty of peace was made with 
Massasoit, the Indian chief. This treaty was not 
broken while Massasoit lived. But there was 
another tribe of Indians, the Narragansetts, who 
hated the whites. On one occasion their chief, 
Canonicus, sent to Plymouth a very war-like mes- 
sage. It was a bundle of arrows, wrapped in a 
rattle-snake skin. For answer Governor Bradford 
sent back the skin filled with powder and bullets. 
The red men took the hint and Canonicus let 
the settlers alone. 

93. The Puritans.— The Pilgrims had sepa- 
rated from the Church of England because they 
did not believe in all the forms and ceremonies 
of that church. But there were many who, while 
they did not like the Church of England, still did 
not want to separate themselves from it. They 



53 



84 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



thought that the service and mode of worship should be changed. 
These persons were called Puritans, because they wished to 
purify the Church. They were bitterly persecuted. When 
they received news of how the Pilgrims were getting along 
in New England, many of the Puritans thought that they should 
also like to emigrate to America. 

94. Massachusetts Bay Colony. — The Puritans made a 
few settlements on the shores of Massachusetts Bay. Later 




Puritans Landing-. 



they bought a tract of land from the Plymouth Company. 
This tract extended from three miles south of the Charles 
river to three miles north of the Merrimac and westward to 
the Pacific Ocean. 

King Charles I. gave the colonists a charter and they took 
the name of the Massachusetts Bay Company. This charter 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 85 

was taken to the new colony. It gave the Company the right 
to elect their own governor and a council who could make 
laws for the colony. 

95. Growth of the Colony. — Both the Plymouth and Massa- 
chusetts Bay Colonies grew rapidly. In 1630 a great emi- 
gration of Puritans took place. John Winthrop, a wealthy 
Puritan, sailed from England with eleven ships, carrying 
nearly a thousand persons, together with many horses, cattle, 
and abundant provisions. They settled at Salem and Charles- 
town, and later founded the city of Boston. These settlements 
grew rapidly. In the course of ten years the Puritans in 
America numbered about 20,000. 

96. Government. — The freest government any people had 
ever known was enjoyed by the settlers at Plymouth. It 
was democratic. This means that the people came together 
and made their own laws. They held ''town meetings," 
at which the people would talk over public matters and decide 
as to what was best for the colony. Later Plymouth Colony 
became a part of Massachusetts Bay Colony. 

The plan of government of Massachusetts Bay Colony 
was set down in the charter. The governor and the council 
were elected by the Company. The laws were made by 
the Legislature or General Court. No laws were allowed 
to be made contrary to the laws of England. Church members 
alone had the right to vote. The representatives were elected 
by them. 

When Charles I. saw how well the Puritans were prosper- 
ing in the New World, he decided to take away their charter 
and give the land to some of his friends. When the Pi.ritans 
heard of this, a small rebellion occurred. They made up their 



86 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



minds they would not give up their prosperous settlement, 
nor allow any but themselves to govern it. King Charles 
soon had enough trouble of his own in England, and his plan 
to take possession of the colony was given up. 

97. King Philip's War. — So long as Massasoit lived, the 
treaty of peace between the Indians and the settlers was faith- 
fully kept. When this chief died, his son Philip became the 

leader of the tribe. King Philip, as he 
was called, believed that the Puritans 
meant to destroy the Indian power com- 
pletely. Perhaps he was not far wrong. 
He believed that the white race and the 
red race could not occupy the same land. 
One of them must go. 

In 1675, Philip began a terrible war 
upon the whites. Many towns were de- 
stroyed, and a thousand men, women, 
and children were cruelly slaughtered. 
At last, however. King Philip was cap- 
tured. His head was cut off and placed upon a pole at 
Plymouth. Here it stood for twenty years, a terrible warning 
to the savage tribes. 

Many of the Indians taken captive were sold as slaves 
and shipped to the West Indies. Philip's wife and boy were 
among this number. With the death of Philip, the power 
of the Indians was broken and there was no more serious 
trouble in the Colony. 

98. The Character of the Puritans. — Although the Puritans 
had ccme to America to enjoy religious liberty, they were not 
willing to allow others to worship . as they pleased. They 




King- Philip. 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 87 

thought that Massachusetts was a place of refuge for them 
alone. People whose religious opinions did not agree with 
those of the Puritans were badly treated by them. Some 
were driven out into the wilderness, others sent back to England, 
while still others were treated with great cruelty or even put 
to death. Among those who suffered the death penalty were 
some Friends or Quakers who had gone to Massachusetts 
on account of persecutions in England. 

In spite of their religious narrowness or bigotry, the Puri 
tans believed strongly in education. They were well educated 
themselves, and they wished their children to enjoy the blessings 
of knowledge. Soon schools and colleges sprang up in many 
parts of the colony. 

99. Massachusetts Becomes a Royal Province. — In 1684, 
King Charles II. took away the charter from the people of 
Massachusetts. He was jealous of the growing power and 
wealth of the colony. He also accused the Puritans of break- 
ing the navigation laws by using other than English ships for 
their commerce. 

After Massachusetts lost its charter, the people were no 
ionger allowed to choose their own governor, but were ruled 
by a governor appointed by the King of England. The first 
governor sent over was Sir Edmund Andros. He was so 
harsh and unjust in his treatment of the colonists that a 
revolt occurred, during which Andros was taken prisoner. 
The people soon again lost the power of managing their own 
affairs, and up to the time of the Revolution, Massachusetts 
remained a royal province. 



88 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 
§2. NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE 



100. New Hampshire and Maine. — In 1622, two yea^? 
after the settlement of Plymouth, a grant of land called Laconia 
was given to two Englishmen, named Sir Ferdinando Gorges 
and John Mason. It extended east from the Merrimac to 
the Kennebec river, and north from the Atlantic Ocean to the 
St. Lawrence river. 

The first permanent settlement in this region was made 
^^j^ at Dover, on the Piscata- 

qua river in 1627. A few 
years later Portsmouth was 
settled. These settlers did 
not come to America on 
account of religious perse- 
cution, as most of them be- 
longed to the Church of Eng- 
' land. They were attracted 
to New England on account 
of the profitable fur-trading 
and fishing. 

101. Division of the Territory. — In 1629, the territory 
was divided. Mason took the land between the Merrimac 
and Piscataqua rivers. To this he gave the name of New 
Hampshire, because there was a place named Hampshire in 
England, of which he had been Lord Lieutenant. 

Gorges took the part between the Piscataqua and Kennebec 
rivers. To it he gave the name of Maine. Later, Massa- 
chusetts gained control of Maine and governed it until 1820, 
when it became a State of the Union. 

New Hampshire was also joined with Massachusetts several 




Blockhouse in Maine. 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 



89 



times. In 1691 the King of England made New Hampshire 
a royal province. It remained so until the Revolution. The 
prosperity of the colony was in some measure due to the intro- 
duction of linen manufacturing. A large number of Scotch- 
Irish emigrants came to New Hampshire and settled the town 
of Londonderry. They brought the art of making linen with 
them. 

§3. RHODE ISLAND AND CONNECTICUT 
102. Roger Williams. — We have already learned how the 
early Puritans forced people to go to 
their church and to help pay for its 
support. It went very hard with 
any one who refused to obey the 
laws of the Puritans. But there 
were some persons who did not 
agree with their strict rules. One 
of them was a minister of a church 
at Salem. His name was Roger 
Williams. He thought that the 
government had no right to force 
people to attend any particular 
church. He said that religion was 
entirely a matter of one's own con- 
science, and that Christians, Jews, 
Mohammedans, or even unbelievers, 
should not be interfered with by the 
government. 

The Puritans were horrified at ^^'"^^^^^i^^SS^^^^^^^^ 
the liberal religious views of Roger ^^^^"^^ ""^ ^''^®'* wniiams. 
Williams. It is no wonder that he was ordered to be 




90 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



arrested and sent to England. He escaped into the wilder- 
ness, however, and, although it was midwinter, he made his 
way to an Indian settlement on Narragansett Bay. Here he 
was well treated and he made his home among the red men 
until the following spring. Then with five friends he pushed 
onward, and finally (1636) founded Providence. Williams 
gave the settlement this name out of gratitude for the way 
in which God had helped him in his trouble. 

103. The Founding of 
Rhode Island. — A few years 
later, Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, 
a woman preacher, and some 
other persons who had been 
persecuted by the Puritans, 
also made settlements near 
Providence. They founded 
Portsmouth, Newport, and 
some other colonies. 

In 1644, Roger Williams 
obtained a charter from the 
King of England uniting 
Providence and the neighbor- 
ing settlements under the name of the Providence Plantations, 
Later the name was changed to Rhode Island. The charter 
gave the people of Rhode Island the right to govern them- 
selves. This charter was remodeled in 1663. It contained 
what the first one did not, a clause guaranteeing religious 
freedom, and it suited them so well that even after Rhode 
Island became a State of the Union it kept the charter. It did 
not make a new Constitution until 1842.- 




Roger Williams' Route. 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 



91 



104. Religious Freedom. — In Rhode Island no person was 
ever persecuted on account of his rehgious behef, but the 
right to vote was denied to Roman Cathohcs and Jews until 
after the Revolution. This, of course, kept them out of the 
state, but in all the colonies the belief was constantly extend- 
ing that every one should have the right to worship God 

'according to the dictates of his own conscience, and to-day 
religious freedom is guaranteed to all the inhabitants of the 
United States by our Constitution. 

105. Control of the Connecticut Valley.— While settle- 
ments were being 

made in various 
parts of New Eng- 
land by Puritans 
and other English 
settlers, a valuable 
fur trade was being 
carried on with the 
Indians by the 
Dutch settlers of 
New Netherland. 
The Dutch traders 
pushed out to the 
valley of the Con- 
necticut. Holland 
claimed this land as the result of the discoveries of Henry 
Hudson. 

England also claimed the territory on account of the voyages 
of the Cabots. The English settlers did not intend to stand 
idly by and let the Dutch have control of the region. Of 




Pilgrims on the Way to Connecticut. 



92 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

course, both nations could not own it, so there were many 
conflicts, and at last the Dutch were driven out of the valley. 

106. Settlement of Connecticut. — It was not the profitable 
fur trade alone which led the English to make settlements 
in Connecticut. There were many people living in Massa- 
chusetts who did not like the way that colony was governed. 
They thought that all citizens, and not merely church members, 
should have the right to vote. On this account, in 1635, large 
parties of emigrants left Massachusetts. After travelling on 
foot through miles of wilderness they finally founded the towns 
of Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford. 

In 1639, people from these three towns met and decided 
on a plan of government. They wrote out a complete set 
of rules or laws, which they called the ''Fundamental Orders 
of Connecticut." This was the first written constitution in 
America. It declared that all citizens should have the right 
to vote. 

107. New Haven. — In 1637, a number of rich Puritan 
merchants sailed from England. Their leader was a Puritan 
clergyman named John Davenport. They landed at Boston, 
where they remained for a while. The people of Boston wanted 
the newcomers to stay in their town, but they were unwilling 
to do so. They desired to make a setdement of their own. 
In 1638 they founded New Haven, In the next few years 
a few other towns were settled. These joined with New Haven 
under the name of the New Haven Colony. 

The Puritan settlers of New Haven were as strict as the 
early settlers of Massachusetts. They would not allow any 
but church members to vote. Their laws were very severe. 
There were as many as fourteen offenses punishable by death. 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 93 

The basis of their laws was the Ten Commandments which 
God had given to Moses. 

In 1 66 1, King Charles II. of England granted a charter 
to Connecticut, which gave the colony the right to govern 
itself. At the same time New Haven was added to Connecti- 
cut. 

§4. TROUBLES WITH THE INDIANS. THE NEW ENGLAND 
CONFEDERACY 

108. The Pequot War. — Hardly had the first settlements 
in Connecticut been made before there was serious trouble 
with the Indians. A tribe called the Pequots Hved in this 
region. They hated the white settlers. Sneaking through 
the woods or prowling near the settlements, they were often 
able to capture stray settlers. They would carry their captives 
away to be tortured or burnt alive. These outrages went 
on for some time, but at last the settlers made up their minds 
that they would put an end to them. 

Early in 1637 Captain Mason, with about seventy men, 
set out to conquer the savage tribe. He was helped by some 
men from Massachusetts and a number of Indians who were 
enemies of the Pequots. Arriving at their stronghold shortly 
before dawn. Mason and his men set fire to the wigwams. 
Almost all the Indians perished. Those who tried to escape 
the fire were shot. This terrible destruction of the savages 
put an end to the Indian wars for many years. 

109. The New England Confederacy. — On account of the 
dangers from their troublesome Dutch and Indian neighbors, 
the New England colonists decided to unite so that they could 
defend themselves better. In 1643 the colonies of Massa- 

7 S-ED 



94 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



chusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven formed 
a union. It was called the New England Confederacy. 

Although the main purpose of this union was protection 
against the Dutch and Indians, it was also intended to show 
sympathy with the Puritans in England, who were then engaged 
in a revolution against King Charles I. 

The colony of Rhode Island was not allowed in the Con- 
federacy because its people had resisted the religious rule of 
the Puritans. The narrow-minded Puritans would not asso- 
ciate with those who differed, from them in religion. 

The New England Confederacy lasted about fifty years. 
It gave the colonists more confidence in themselves and taught 
them the lesson that ''In union there is strength." It paved 
the way for united action against the French, and later made 
easier that union of all the colonies against Great Britain 
which led to the founding of the great republic in which we 
live — the United States of America. 

§5. LIFE IN NEW ENGLAND 

1 10. Religious Character of the People.— The New England 
colonists were deeply religious. They came to this country 
that they might worship God in their own way, but they were 
not willing to let others have different beliefs from theirs. 
Everybody was compelled to go to church. They had strict 
laws against Sabbath-breaking. People were not even allowed 
to walk in the street on Sunday, except to go to and from 
church. 

In church, the men and women sat apart from each other. 
The services were long — sometimes the preacher turned the 
hour-glass twice before he finished his sermon. The boys and 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 



95 



girls who got restless were prodded with a stick in the hands 
of a man called the "tithing man." There was a rabbit's 
tail fixed to one end of the stick, with which the men or women 
who got drowsy during the long sermon were aroused. 




Puritans Going' to Church. 

111. Severe Laws and Penalties. — The New Englanders 
had strict laws for every-day life also. Men were publicly 
punished for lying or for swearing. Drunkards were some- 
times compelled to wear placards proclaiming their bad habits. 
For trifling offenses men were placed in the stocks or in the 
pillory, to be held up to scorn before the public. Sometimes 
these offenders were pelted with mud or stones by the pas- 
sersby. 



96 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



Women who scolded too much were gagged, or even placed 
upon the ducking stool and soused into the water. Burning 
with hot irons, cutting off the ears, and flogging at the whipping- 
post were some of the cruel punishments used in those days. 
.- _ 112. The Witch- 

craft Excite= 
ment. — Our fore- 
fathers were much 
more superstitious 
than the people of 
the present day. 
Among the foolish 
notions of olden 
times was a belief 
in witchcraft. This 
belief prevailed in 
Europe as well as 
in the colonies. 
People accused 
of being witches were treated very badly. In Salem, Massa- 
chusetts, the excitement over witchcraft became intense. Per- 
sons supposed to be witches were put in prison and some 
were even burned at the stake. After a time, when the people 
came to their senses, they were ashamed of these cruelties. 
They released all those accused of witchcraft and the excite- 
ment died out. 

It is difhcult to realize that such awful things happened in 
this country little more than two hundred years ago. To-day 
there are few, if any, people so ignorant or foolish as to believe 
in witchcraft. 




First Church at Plymouth. 



THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 97 

il3. Occupations in New England. — In Virginia, the rich 
soil made agriculture a profitable occupation, and the great 
land-owners lived on large plantations. In New England, 
however, on account of constant danger from the Indians, 
the people lived together as closely as possible in villages and 
towns. They were afraid to live on big lonely farms or plan- 
tations. Besides, they found the soil rocky and not very fertile. 
Such farms as they had, therefore, were small and produced 
barely enough to supply the family of the farmer. 

The fine forests furnished materials for ship-building and 
soon New England became famous for this industry. Many 
of the vessels they built were used in fishing for cod and 
mackerel. Later they built whaling vessels and became expert 
whalers. They carried on an extensive commerce, especially 
with the West Indies. They also sent shiploads of lumbei^ 
to England. 

114. Education in New England. — The Puritan settlers 
were a very different class of people from those who had settled 
Virginia. They were industrious and earnest. They had 
not left England to gain wealth, but were anxious to make 
homes for themselves in the New World. Many of these 
settlers were quite well-to-do. They were, as a rule, well 
educated, many of them being graduates of English colleges. 

The New England colonists had a high opinion of the value 
of education. They built schools almost as soon as they built 
their churches, and most of the colonies passed laws compelling 
the people to educate their children. The boys were taught to 
read and write and cipher. The girls received less attention, 
as it was thought in those days that girls did not need education 
so much as boys. 



98 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



The New Englanders believed in higher education also. 
In 1636 they founded Harvard College. This was the first 
college established in America, and to-day it is one of the 
greatest colleges in the world. 







Palisade Around Plymoutli, 



SUMMARY 99 



SUMMARY 

THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES 

Massachusetts. — In 1620, the Pilgrims, in order to escape religious 
persecution, sailed from England in the Mayflower. They landed at 
Plymouth and established a colony where they could worship God in 
their own way. 

They suffered great hardships during the first winter, and later had 
much trouble with the Indians. Their brave leader, Miles Standish, 
fought the Indians successfully and helped the colonies greatly in many 
other ways. 

Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled by the Puritans, who also 
came to America to secure religious liberty. They^ settled Salem, 
Charlestown, and Boston. 

In 1675, King Philip, the Indian chief, made war upon the settlers. 
The colonists suffered severely, but the Indian power was at last com- 
pletely broken and King Phihp was killed. 

The Puritans were very strict and refused to grant rehgious liberty to 
others. They persecuted the Friends or Quakers and others who did 
not accept their views. They believed in education and founded 
schools and colleges. 

The people of Massachusetts first ruled themselves under a charter 
granted by the King. In 1684, the King took away their charter and 
Massachusetts became a royal province. 

New Hampshire and Maine.— In 1632, a grant of land was given 
to Gorges and Mason. It extended from the Merrimac to the Ken- 
nebec river. The first permanent settlements were made at Dover in 
1627 and at Portsmouth in 1631. The settlers were attracted by 
the fur-trading and fishing. 

In 1629, the land was divided into Maine and New Hampshire. Mas- 
sachusetts later gained control of Maine. New Hampshire, in 1691, 
became a royal province. 

Rhode Island and Connecticut. — Roger Williams, a Salem min- 



lOO ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

ister, objected to some of the strict religious laws of the Puritans. To 
avoid arrest he escaped from the colony and later founded Providence, 
1636. 

A few years later Portsmouth and Newport were founded by Mrs. 
Anne Hutchinson and some other persons who had been persecuted 
by the Puritans. 

In 1644, a charter was granted which united these settlements and gave 
the people the right to govern themselves. This was the beginning of 
Rhode Island. 

The fur trade with the Indians attracted English settlers to the valley 
of the Connecticut. They finally drove out the Dutch traders who also 
claimed this region. Other Englishmen from Massachusetts also settled 
in this valley, 1635, because they were dissatisfied with the government of 
that colony. They founded the towns of Windsor, Wethersfield, 
and Hartford. 

In 1637, New Haven was founded by rich Puritan merchants who 
had sailed from England. 

In 1661 , New Haven was joined to Connecticut, and the colony received 
a charter from the King, which gave the people the right to govern them- 
selves. 

The Pequot War, 1637, in which Captain Mason completely defeated 
the Indians, put an end to Indian troubles for many years. 

In 1643, Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven 
formed the New England Confederacy. Its main object was pro- 
tection against the Dutch and Indians. 



CHAPTER IX 
THE MIDDLE COLONIES 

§ U NEW YORK 

115. Henry Hudson's Discoveries. — The people of Holland 
I were great sailors and traders. Three hundred years ago 
, their ships sailed to every part of the world that was known 
\ at that time. It was said that half the commerce of the world 
; was carried in Dutch vessels. 

' In 1609, Henry Hudson was sent out by the Dutch to find 
a short way to India. He did not find the Northwest Passage 
i he was looking for, but he found something better — the great 
I river that was named for him. 

j Hudson also found a richer field for trade than the Indies 
] he set out to seek. He became acquainted with the Indians, 
j and found that they were willing to trade with the white man. 
I Hudson found that he could get the best of the bargain with 
the ignorant Indians. For a few colored beads or other trinkets 
of little value he could get in exchange fine furs, for which 
1 civilized people were willing to pay high prices. 
j 116. The Dutch Claim New Netherland.— When Hudson 
I told the people of Holland about his great discoveries, they 
j became anxious to own part of this wonderful new country 
I and to carry on this rich fur trade with the Indians. Ships 
were sent over and settlements were made on the banks of 
the Hudson river. The Dutch claimed not only the region 

101 



i02 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



around this river, but also all the land between the Connecti- 
cut and the Delaware rivers. They named their possessions 
New Netherland, after their own country, which is some- 
times called the Netherlands. 

117. The West India Company.— The trading stations 
on the Hudson became more numerous and important. In 
1 62 1, a company was formed to take charge of them and to 
establish new trading-posts. It was called the West India 
Company, and was granted great power over all of New Nether- 




Dutch Trading:. 



land. It had the right to employ soldiers and to govern the 
country. Settlements were made on the Delaware river and 
as far east as the Connecticut. One of the settlements on 
the Hudson was called Fort Orange. It is now the city of 
Albany. 

118. Settlement of New Amsterdam. — One of the places 
which the Dutch settled was a small island at the mouth 
of the Hudson river. Its Indian name was Manhattan. 



THE MIDDLE COLONIES 



103 



Here, in 16 14, the settlers built a fort and a few log huts. In 
1626, a Dutch governor named Peter Minuit was sent over. 
He brought a company of settlers with him, and they landed 
on Manhattan Island. 

Minuit bought the island from the Indians for a few yards 
of colored cloth, some beads and other trinkets, said to be 




Peter Minuit Purchasingr Manhattan Island. 

worth in all about twenty-four dollars. This was a great 
bargain indeed, but even the shrewd Dutch traders did not 
know then how great a bargain it really was. This land is 
where the city of New York, one of the richest cities in all 
the world, now stands. To-day it is worth not only millions, 
but billions, of dollars. 

The Dutch called their setdement on the Manhattan Island 



I04 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



New Amsterdam, for the town of Amsterdam in Holland. New 
Amsterdam grew rapidly and soon became a prosperous town. 
119. The Patroons. — Holland was anxious to encourage 
emigration to New Netherland. Large tracts of land were 
offered to members of the West India Company who would 
agree to send over a sufficient number of settlers. These land 




A Patroon's House. 

owners were called ^'patroons." They established great plan- 
tations, over which they had full power of government. They 
were practically lords or princes of their rich estates. The 
patroons often used negro slaves to assist the settlers in the 
cultivation of the land. 

120. Stuyvesant and the Conquest of New Sweden. — New 
Netherland was not governed very well. The people did not 



THE MIDDLE COLONIES 



105 



Aave a share in making the laws, and some of their governors 
were poor rulers and mismanaged the affairs of the colony. 

The last of the Dutch governors was Peter Stuyvesant. 
He became governor in 1647. He had been a soldier and lost 
a leg in battle. He wore a wooden one, tipped with silver, 
and was, therefore, nicknamed "Old Silver Leg." Stuyvesant 




was severe and sometimes cruel and tyrannical; but he was 
honest, and the colony prospered under his rule. 

Stuyvesant learned that the Swedes had settled near the 
mouth of the Delaware river where Wilmington now stands. 
This land was claimed by the Dutch. Stuyvesant marched 
some soldiers down to "New Sweden," as these settlers called 
their colony, and took possession of it. 



io6 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



121. England Takes Possession of New Netherland. — The 

region in which the Dutch had settled was part of the land 
claimed by England. 

The English were jealous of the prosperous Dutch settle- 
ment. They wanted the rich Hudson river country and the 
fur trade for themselves. Besides, they felt that the New 
England and the Southern colonies were in danger so long 
as the Dutch held possession of New Netherland, which lay 




English Fleet Arriving- at New Amsterdam. 



between them. The English king Charles II., therefore, 
determined to take possession of New Netherland. He gave 
the land to his brother, the Duke of York. 

A small fleet of warships was fitted out and sent to attack 
New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British fleet arrived and took 
the Dutch completely by surprise. Governor Stuyvesant at 
first refused to surrender, and tried hard to stir up his country- 
men to fight, but the Dutch were peace-loving and would not 



THE MIDDLE COLONIES 



107 



oppose the English. ''Old Silver Leg" was obliged to give 
up the city without a gun being fired in its defense. This 
gave the English control of the whole Atlantic coast between 
the Savannah and the Kennebec rivers. 




New Amsterdam in 1664. 



\ After the English got possession of New Amsterdam they 
! changed its name to New York, in honor of the Duke. It 

was ruled under the ''Duke's Laws" until 1685, when it became 

a royal province. 

§2. NEW JERSEY 
122. Early Dutch Settlements.— After the Duke of York 
had gained possession of New Netherland, he gave all the 
territory between the Delaware river and the Atlantic Ocean 
to two of his friends, Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret. 
This region had been settled by the Dutch as early as 161 7. 
The settlements were nearly fifty years old when the Duke 



Io8 . ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

of York took possession of New Netherland, but they had 
not grown very large or prosperous. 

123. East and West Jersey. — The country that was now 
ruled by the two English proprietors was named New Jersey^ 
in honor of Carteret, who had been Governor of the Island 
of Jersey in England.- In 1665, an English settlement was 
made at Elizabethtown, and later many more settlers came 
from New England and from Europe. These settlements 
prospered because the proprietors made good rules for govern- 
ing the colonies. In 1674, the proprietors agreed to divide 
New Jersey between them. Carteret took East Jersey and 
Berkley took West Jersey. Berkley sold his share to William 
Penn and some other Friends, and later (1676), when Car- 
teret died. East Jersey also was sold to the Friends. 

The new proprietors ruled with justice and wisdom and 
treated the Indians so well that they remained friendly with 
the colonists. Many Friends settled in New Jersey, the people 
took to farming, and the colony became prosperous. 

In 1702, the proprietors gave up their rights to the King, 
and New Jersey became a royal province. 

§3. PENNSYLVANIA AND DELAWARE 

124. The Society of Friends. — The Puritans who settled 
in Massachusetts because they were persecuted in England, 
and the Catholics for whom Lord Baltimore founded a colony j 
in Maryland, were not the only people treated badly on account 
of their religious beliefs. The Friends who settled in New 
Jersey went there to obtain religious freedom. They were 
called ''Quakers," in derision, by those who persecuted them. 
They called themselves ''Friends." 



THE MIDDLE COLONIES 



109 




A Friend. 



The Friends belonged to a society that had been formed 
in England to persuade men to join a new religious sect. The 
preachers of this sect taught that all men should truly be 
friends with one another, that no man is 
better than any other man, and that all should 
be treated with equal justice. The Friends, 
of course, hated slavery. They also thought 
that war was wicked, and that it was better 
to suffer injustice than to fight. They be- 
lieved in plain speech and in plain dress 
and in a plain manner of life. 

The Friends worshipped God in a plain 
and simple fashion. They called their place 
of worship a "meeting-house" instead of a 
church. You may be sure these strange 
''Friends" were badly treated by the narrow-minded people 
of other religious denominations. In spite of bitter perse- 
cution they grew in numbers and in 
strength. 

125. William Penn. — One of 
the greatest Friends that ever lived, 
indeed, one of the greatest men of 
our history, was William Penn. 
Penn became a Friend when a 
young man. He was thrown into 
prison many times because of his 
religion, but could not be made 
to change his belief. William Penn's father. Admiral Penn, 
of the British Navy, was a rich man. When Admiral Penn 
died, his son William inherited his money. Penn used his 

8 «'-ED 




William Penn. 



no 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



Jl 



I 




wealth for good purposes. He and some associates pur- 
chased New Jersey, as we have already learned, and pro- 
vided a place there where op- 
pressed Friends and others might 
settle. 

126. Penn Obtains Pennsyl= 
vania. — Penn's ideas on free- 
dom and equality for everybody, 
especially for the poor and the 
oppressed, grew stronger as he 
thought about these things. He 
learned a great deal by helping 
the New Jersey settlers. 

Penn wished to establish a 
great free commonwealth which 
should be a refuge for the per- 
secuted of all religions and of all countries. The King of 
England owed Admiral Penn a large sum of money. William 
Penn suggested that the King should pay the debt by giving 
him a tract of land in the New World. The King had more 
land than money, and gladly settled the debt in this way. 

In 1 68 1, Penn received a grant of land which the King 
insisted on calling Pennsylvania (Penn's Land), in honor of 
Admiral Penn. It comprised the land west of the Delaware 
river. As we have learned, its southern boundary was not 
finally settled until Mason and Dixon's line was surveyed. 
This was nearly a hundred years after Penn received the land. 
127. The Holy Experiment. — Penn did not want this grant 
of land for any selfish purpose. He planned to use it for the 
benefit of mankind. He had seen the persecuted Friends 



Penn in Prison. 



THE MIDDLE COLONIES 



III 



find a refuge in New Jersey, and he determined to make Penn- 
sylvania a refuge not only for the Friends, but for any who 
might wish to settle there. 

He said that he would try the ''Holy Experiment" of 
establishing a free colony where the people could make their 
own laws. He wanted the people of Pennsylvania to live 
at peace with each other and with their neighbors, the Indians. 

128. Early Settle= 
ments. — Some 
Swedes and Dutch 
had settled on the 
banks of the Dela- 
ware river long be- 
fore Penn became 
proprietor of Penn- 
sylvania. These set- 
tlements had not 
grown large enough 
to be of much im- 
portance. 

P e n n ' s liberal 
plans induced many colonists to risk the ocean voyage to 
make homes for themselves in Pennsylvania. In 1681, three 
vessels carried many Friends and some people of other faiths 
to the banks of the Delaware river. These settlers had a 
hard time of it. They lived in rude huts or sod houses. 
Some of them were obliged to live for a time in caves dug in 
the river banks. 

129. The Founding of Philadelphia.— William Penn deter- 
mined to found a city in this new province. He drew up a 




Caves in River Bank. 



112 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

plan for a city with straight, wide streets and space for gardens 
for the houses. He said he wanted it to be ''a faire greene 
country town." He chose the name Philadelphia for the 
new city. This was a good name for a city founded by Friends, 
for it means "brotherly love," and the Friends tried to love 
their fellowmen as brothers and live at peace with all the 
world. 

In 1682, William Penn set sail for America in the good 
ship "Welcome." He had with him about 100 colonists. 
They entered the Delaware river in October and landed at 
New Castle, a small settlement in what is now the State of 
Delaware. Here he was received by the people and took 
possession of his great province with interesting ceremonies. 

Later, Penn sailed up the Delaware till he came to the 
Schuylkill river, which empties into it. This place had been 
selected as a site for the city. In 1683, the city was laid out. 
Not only more Friends, but immigrants from Germany and 
other countries, began to arrive and the city grew rapidly. 

130. The "Frame of Government." — In order to carry 
out his "Holy Experiment," Penn drew up a "Frame of 
Government" for his colony. This frame of government, 
with some additions that were made later, became known 
as the "Great Law." It aimed to make the people as free 
and happy as possible. It gave them the right to vote and to 
make their own laws. It also gave them religious liberty. 
It had many other wise and just provisions. It directed that 
every child should be taught a trade or useful occupation. It 
also directed that prisons should be made better places, where 
criminals could be taught trades and made into good men 
instead of being cruelly punished. 



THE MIDDLE COLONIES II 3 

The Great Law was a remarkable document, not only 
because it was such a good plan of government, but because 
it was so far ahead of the laws of those times. Even in civi- 
lized countries in those days many of the rulers were wicked 
and tyrannical, the laws unjust and cruel, and the common 
people treated almost like slaves. The Great Law shows that 
William Penn had a broad mind, a big heart, and was a hundred 
years or more ahead of his times. 

131. Friendly Relations with the Indians. — William Penn 
believed that there should be brotherly love not only between 
white men, but that the red men also should be treated as 
brothers. He did not steal the land from the Indians. He 
paid them for it and did not cheat them when he made the 
bargain. Penn had cautioned the Friends who settled in 
Pennsylvania before he visited the colony to be friendly with 
the Indians and to treat them fairly. 

In 1683, when Penn arrived himself, he met the Indians 
to make a treaty with them. The meeting was held under 
a great elm tree which stood not far from the river in a part 
of the settlement of Philadelphia that was called Shackamaxon. 
The tree was blown down years ago, but a monument has been 
put up to mark the spot where this famous treaty was made. 

The pipe of peace was smoked by the Indians and the 
Friends and gifts were exchanged. The oldest and wisest 
Indian chiefs and William Penn made speeches in which they 
solemnly promised friendship. Penn said ^'we are all one 
flesh and blood." The Indians said that the friendship with 
Penn and his children should last as long "as the sun and 
moon shall shine." No oath was taken, as the Friends believe 
a promise is just as binding. It certainly was in this case, 



114 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



for it has been said that ''this treaty was the only one never 
sworn to and never broken." The people of Pennsylvania 
lived at peace with the Indians as long as the Friends ruled 
the colony. 




Penn's Treaty. 

132. Penn Purchases Delaware. — Of all the English colonies, 
Pennsylvania was the only one that had no sea-coast. Penn 
feared that in case a disagreement should arise at any time 
with the people of West Jersey or of Delaware, they might 
block the entrance way to his colony and cut it off from the 
sea. Principally for this reason he secured possession of 
Delaware from the Duke of York (1682). The Duke had 
obtained control of this territory when the Dutch surrendered 
New Netherland in 1664. 



THE MIDDLE COLONIES 



115 



133. Settlement of Delaware. — The Dutch had a trading- 
post on the South river (Delaware) for a few years, but were 
driven away by the Indians. The first permanent settlement 
of this colony was made by people sent out by Sweden for 
the purpose of gaining a foothold in the New World. In 1638 
the Swedes built Fort Christina and settled near where Wil- 
mington now stands. 




Old Swedes Church, Wilmington, Del. 



As we have learned, Peter Stuyvesant conquered New 
Sweden, as these settlers called their colony, in 1655, but had 
to give it up later to the Duke of York. When Penn became 
proprietor, Delaware had several thriving towns — New Castle, 
and some other small places inhabited by Swedes, Dutch, 
and English, 



Il6 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

134. Government of Delaware. — The tract of land that 
Penn obtained from the Duke of York was known as the 
"three lower counties." It was often called the ''Territories," 
to distinguish it from Pennsylvania, which was called the 
Province. It really was all Penn's Province and was gov- 
erned by him as proprietor. 

The people had the right to make their own laws. After 
1702, Delaware was allowed to have an assembly of its own 
where the laws for the colony were made. It continued to 
be ruled, however, by the ''Province" until the close of the 
Revolutionary War, when both Pennsylvania and Delaware 
became independent States. 

135. Growth and Prosperity of Pennsylvania. — Penn's 
"Holy Experiment" succeeded. His colony grew rapidly 
and prospered. The principal causes of the success of the 
colony were the Great Law and the Treaty with the Indians. 
These wise measures would not have been sufficient by them- 
selves if Penn had not shown as much wisdom and justice in 
carrying out his plans as he did in making them. The liberal 
government he gave his people made every man feel free and 
on an equality with every other man. The friendship he 
established with the Indians removed the fear of savage 
massacres and bloody wars. 

The fame of these things spread and soon many people 
came from Europe to live a free, happy, and industrious life 
in Pennsylvania. Not only Friends, but other English people, 
and many Welsh and Irish, were among the immigrants who 
setded there. Thousands of hard-working Germans also 
came over. Many of these were good farmers. They chose 
Pennsylvania because there a poor man could get a small 



THE MIDDLE COLONIES II7 

farm for himself. In some of the other colonies the land was 
divided into large plantations owned by a few rich men. 

Pennsylvania was settled later than any of the thirteen 
colonies except Georgia, but it grew so rapidly that it soon 
became one of the greatest in wealth and population. At 
the time of the Revolution, Philadelphia had become the largest 
,and most important city in America. It was in this city, 
founded by the peace-loving Friends, that the Declaration of 
Independence was signed. After independence was gained, 
Philadelphia was for a while the Capital of the United States. 

§4. LIFE IN THE MIDDLE COLONIES 

136. Character of the Colonists. — There were people of 
many nationalities in the Middle Colonies. There were 
English, Dutch, Germans, Irish, Scotch-Irish, Swedes, and 
Welsh. The Dutch influence was strong in New York and 

• the Quaker influence in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Dela- 
ware. There was almost complete religious freedom in these 
colonies. 

137. Occupations of the People. — Except the great estates 
on the banks of the Hudson, where the Dutch patroons lived 
like noblemen, there were no large plantations in the Middle 
Colonies. There were, however, many farms. These farms 
were much larger and more prosperous than those of New 
England and produced a greater variety of crops. Many 
cattle were also raised, especially in New Jersey. 

The native woodlands furnished valuable lumber and 
there was a profitable fur trade with the Indians. Iron was 
manufactured from the rich natural ores, and there were many 
paper mills. Manufacturing was restricted very much by the 



Il8 ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 

laws passed by England. Philadelphia was the largest city in 
all the colonies and the greatest commercial center. 

138. Education. — Education received more attention in 
the Middle Colonies than in the South, but there were not so 
many free schools as in the New England Colonies. There 
were many private schools throughout the Middle Colonies, 
however, and the Dutch had established many free schools 
before the English took possession of New Netherland. 

William Penn, in his Frame of Government, provided for 
a system of public education throughout his province, and 
the Assembly in 1683 passed a law which directed that poor 
as well as rich should be instructed. This law also provided 
a penalty for those who neglected to educate their children. 

Penn established a Grammar School in Philadelphia which 
for many years was free to all. It exists to-day as one of the 
best private schools in the country, and is known as the William 
Penn Charter School. 

The University of Pennsylvania, Princeton College in 
New Jersey, and Columbia University in New York, three of 
the greatest colleges in this country, were founded during 
colonial times. 



SUMMARY 119 

SUMMARY 

THE MIDDLE COLONIES 

New York. — When the Dutch learned from Henry Hudson of the 
valuable fur trade which could be carried on with the Indians, they sent 
settlers over to establish trading-posts in New Netherland. 

In 1626, Peter Minuit, the Dutch Governor, purchased Manhattan 
Island from the Indians. The settlement on this island was named New 
Amsterdam. 

The Dutch West India Company granted large tracts of land on the 
Hudson to Patroons. These men Hved like lords on their vast estates. 

Peter Stuyvesant, the last of the Dutch governors, conquered New 
Sweden, but was obliged to surrender it and all New Netherland to the 
Duke of York in 1664. New Amsterdam became New York. It 
became a royal province in 1685. 

New Jersey. — In 1664, the Duke of York gave New Jersey to 
Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret. In 1665, Elizabethtown 
was settled. 

By 1676, New Jersey had been sold to William Penn and some other 
Friends. New Jersey became a royal province in 1702. 

Pennsylvania and Delaware. — In 1681, William Penn received 
a grant of land from the King of England. It was called Pennsylvania. 

Penn wished to establish a colony for Friends and the persecuted of all 
denominations. 

Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, was founded in 1682. 

Penn drew up a Frame of Government, which gave the people the 
right to make their own laws and insured them religious liberty. Penn 
made a treaty with the Indians, which was kept unbroken for many years. 
People from various nations of Europe were attracted to Pennsylvania by 
Penn's liberal government. 

Delaware.— In 1638, the Swedes made a settlement at Fort 
Christina on the Delaware. New Sweden was conquered by the Dutch, 
and later became the possession of the Duke of York. 

In 1682, Penn secured control of Delaware in order tio obtain a sea- 
coast for his colony. 



PART III 

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREM- 
ACY IN AMERICA 



CONFLICT OF CLAIMS 

139. The French in America. — While the English colonists 
had been securing possession of the Atlantic Coast east of 
the Alleghany Mountains, the French had not been idle. In 
1604, they made a settlement at Port Royal (now called Annap- 
olis) in Nova Scotia. This was three years before the first 
English settlement, Jamestown, in Virginia. In 1608, one 
year after the Virginia settlement, Champlain founded Quebec, 
in Canada. 

The French were thus getting a foothold in the valley of 
the St. Lawrence about the same time that the English were 
establishing themselves in Virginia. 

140. New France. — The French claimed the land upon 
which the New York and the New England colonists had 
settled and were anxious to get possession of it, especially of 
the valley of the Hudson river. 

Fortunately for the English, Champlain had once fought 
and defeated the Iroquois Indians and thus made them for- 
ever after the bitter enemies of the French. This powerful 
120 



CONFLICT OF CLAIMS 



121 



tribe occupied the region of central New York, and they were 
friendly to the Dutch and Enghsh settlers. They acted as 
a barrier between the French and the English and prevented 
the former from making any headway against the English 
in New York. 

Blocked by the Iroquois in this direction, the French 
pushed westward and explored and settled the region of the 




French Trading with Indians. 



Great Lakes, as we have learned. They also explored the 
Mississippi river and some of its important branches. Where- 
ever they went they made friends with the Indians. In course 
of time they had many missions, fur-trading posts, and forts 
dotted over different parts of this vast territory. 



122 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 

The valley of the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes was 
called New France, and the valley of the Mississippi was named 
Louisiana. What is now known as Nova Scotia and New 
Brunswick the French called Acadia. The name New France, 
however, was often used to mean all the French possessions 
in America. 

141. Conflicting Claims of French and English. — The 
English claimed all the land upon which the French had settled. 
That there had not been serious conflict between the French 
and English during this long period of settlement was because 
they were well separated. The dangerous Iroquois and the 
massive Alleghany Mountains were the barriers between 
these jealous rivals, but sooner or later the conflict was bound 
to occur. When war broke out in Europe between the mother 
countries, France and England, it was not long before their 
colonies in America were fighting also. 

MEMORIZE THESE DATES AND EVENTS 

1759. Fall of Quebec. 

1776. Declaration of Independence. 

1776. Battles of Long Island and Trenton. 

1777. Surrender of Burgoyne. 
1783. Treaty of Paris. 



CHAPTER X 
THE INTERCOLONIAL WARS 

§ I. THE STRUGGLE FOR ACADIA 

142. The Intercolonial Wars. — There were four wars 
between France and England, which spread to their colonies 
in America. The first three of these wars were called respec- 
tively King William's, Queen Anne's, and King George's 
war, after the names of the monarchs ruling in England at 
the time. 

The last and most important contest was called by the 
colonists the French and Indian War. It was really the 
final struggle between France and England for control of 
America. The contests that took place in America between 
', the colonies while France and England fought their battles 
in Europe are often spoken of as the Intercolonial Wars. 

King William's was begun in 1689, and the French and 
Indian War ended in 1763, so the fighting between the French 
and English colonies in America extended over a period of 
seventy-four years. The long struggle, full of hardships and 
miseries for both sides, resulted in the triumph of the English. 

143. The First Three Wars. — The New England and the 
Middle Colonies bore the brunt of the fighting in the first 
three of the Intercolonial Wars. During these wars the 
French, with their Indian allies, again and again invaded New 
York and New England. They destroyed many towns and 
villages, burning the houses and killing and torturing the 
people. 

123 



124 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 

They were not so successful in New York as they were in 
New England, because the Iroquois Indians defended the 
Hudson and Mohawk valleys and inflicted great injuries 
upon the French. • 

On the other hand, the English colonists showed that 
they could fight. They twice captured Port Royal — once in 
King William's War and again in Queen Anne's War. The 




Family Fleeing- From Indians. 

French built on Cape Breton Island what was then the strongest 
fortress in the world — so strong, they said, that it could not be 
taken even if it were garrisoned by women. But though 
it was defended by brave Frenchmen, the English colonists 
captured it after a long siege. 

As a result of these wars, the French gave up their claim 
to Newfoundland and Hudson Bay. The English also obtained 



THE INTERCOLONIAL WARS 



125 



possession of Acadia. They changed its name to Nova Scotia. 
Port Royal they renamed AnnapoHs in honor of Queen 
Anne. 



§2. THE FINAL CONTEST 
144. The Albany Congress. — The Enghsh knew that though 
peace was declared, the fight was not yet over. A Congress 
was called at Albany to make a treaty with the Iroquois and 
to form plans for defense against the French. 

Benjamin Franklin, a member of 
the Congress, proposed a plan of union 
for all the English colonies. His plan 
was not adopted, but it was one of the 
things that taught the colonists to see 
that ^'In union there is strength," and 
led to the great union twenty years after. 
145. The French Fortify the Missis= 
sippi Valley.— The French also were 
preparing to continue the fight for 
America. They wanted to hold the 
Mississippi Valley, which 
they called Louisiana, and 
they were also anxious to 
regain Acadia. They had 
not made many important 
settlements in the Mississippi 
Valley, but they had built a 
chain of forts along the river. 
They now began to take possession of the Ohio river 
valley, because this river was a highway that the English might 

9 S-ED 




•^ FREHCH & ENGLISH 

f^ IN THE 

OHIO VALLEY 

1750-1763 



126 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 



follow to invade their territory. They built a fort on the shore 
of Lake Erie, and others on the Allegheny river, so as to be 
ready to defend their claims to the country. 

146. George Washington's Dangerous Errand. — When the 
English learned that the French were beginning to take pos- 
session of the Ohio valley, they at last became alarmed. Vir- 
ginia claimed that region as her territory. Governor Din- 

widdie determined to 
warn the French 
against trespassing 
upon English soil. 

The Governor 
chose George Wash- 
ington, a young man 
only twenty-one years 
old, to undertake the 
dangerous task of 
carrying a message 
to the French com- 
mander. Washing- 
ton was six feet tall, 
strong and fearless, 
and a good woods- 
man. He made the 
perilous journey, 
through looo miles of wilderness, in the winter of 1753. 
After passing through many dangers he delivered the mes- 
sage to the Commander of the French at Fort Le Boeuf, and 
returned with the reply to Virginia. 

Washington had kept his eyes open and brought back 




Washington in the River. 



THE INTERCOLONIAL WARS 



127 



valuable information as to the character of the country and 
the number and strength of the French strongholds. 

147. The French Build Fort Duquesne. — The reply that 
the French sent back with Washington was not satisfactory. 
Governor Dinwiddie now knew that the English would have 
to fight for the country they claimed. The French not only 
refused to leave the disputed territory, but they drove away 




Surrender of Fort Necessity. 

the English, who were building a fort where Pittsburg now 
stands. The French finished this fort themselves, and named 
it Fort Duquesne. They now had a stronghold at the most 
important point in the Ohio valley, long called the Gateway 
of the West. 

148. The French Capture Fort Necessity. — In 1754, Washing- 
ton led a small force against Fort Duquesne. He found the 



128 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 



French approaching in great numbers, so he fell back to Fort 
Necessity, a small breastwork he had thrown up. Here he 
awaited the enemy. 

The French compelled Washington to surrender this fort, but 
permitted him to march out with drums beating and flags flying. 
This was the first fight and the real beginning of the war to de- 
cide whether the French or the English should control America. 

149. The English Plan for War.— The British now knew 
that the fight was on in earnest. They sent General Braddock 









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FRCNCH if INDIAN WAR 



over to the colonies to command the English forces. The 
French and English settlements in America were separated 
by miles of wilderness, but there were certain great natural 



THE INTERCOLONIAL WARS 



129 



highways that it was important to secure. Four expeditions 
for this purpose were planned against the French. 

1. To capture Fort Duquesne, the Gateway to the West. 

2. To capture Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake 
Champlain and proceed against Quebec. 

3. Against Louisburg and Acadia, to prevent the French 
of this region from helping Quebec. 

4. Through the valleys of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers 
to Oswego and Niagara. 

150. Braddock's Defeat. — In 1755, Braddock led his army 
against Fort Duquesne. He was a brave general, but did not 
understand how to fight in the wilderness and against the Indian 




Indians and French Attacking- Braddock. 

allies of the French. Against the advice of the colonists 
he marched his army through the woods with drums beating 
and flags flying. 



130 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 



When within a few miles of Fort Duquesne, Braddock's 
army was suddenly attacked by the French and Indians who 

were hidden behind 
trees. Many of the 
English regulars were 
killed before they 
knew where the at- 
tack came from. The 
Colonial troops took 
to the trees and 
fought bravely. 
Braddock was mor- 
tally wounded and 
Washington, with the 
help of his Virginia 
troops, managed to 
conduct the retreat 
in some order. This was a serious defeat for the English. 

151. Declaration of War — Expulsion of the Acadians. — 
The fighting continued, but it was not until 1756 that Great 
Britain made a declaration of war against France. The 
English had more defeats than victories during the next two 
years of the war. They succeeded, however, in taking posses- 
sion of Acadia. They drove many thousands of the peaceful 
French farmers of Acadia from their homes. This caused 
great suffering, but was thought to be necessary to prevent 
these inhabitants of Acadia from turning it back into the hands 
of the French. 

152. The Turning=point of the War.— The turning-point of 
the war came when William Pitt, one of the greatest English 




Expulsion of Acadians. 



THE INTERCOLONIAL WARS 



131 





William Pitt. 



statesmen that ever lived, undertook the management of 

affairs. Pitt seemed to know just what was needed to carry 

on the war successfully. He appointed 

able officers to carry out his orders. 

In 1758, Washington conducted an ex- 
pedition against Fort Duquesne, and this 

time the stronghold was captured. Its 

name was changed to Fort Pitt, and the 

village at that place became known as 

Pittsburgh. In the same year Louisburg 

was captured. Ticonderoga and Crown 
Point were also taken, 
and the French were driven back into 
Canada. 

153. The Fall of Quebec— General 
Wolfe, who had command of the English 
forces, now proceeded up the St. Law- 
rence river to lay siege to Quebec. On 
account of its position on a high rock this 
was one of the strongest fortresses in the 
world. For months the 

English were unable to make an attack 

upon the citadel. 

At last Wolfe discovered a place where 

his men could climb the bluff. One night -^il^^^K'^1 

in the fall of 1759 they rowed with 

muffled oars to the foot of the pathway 

that had been discovered. All night long 

the English army climbed this steep path- 
way to the top of the hill 



General Wolfe. 




General Montcalm, 



132 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY liST AMERICA 



In the morning, Montcalm, the French commander, was 
surprised to find an Enghsh force of several thousand men 
before him. The French did not wait to be attacked, but 
came forth and gave battle upon the great plain called the 
Heights of Abraham. The battle was short and the French 
were totally defeated. 




English Climbing- to the 
Plains of Abraham. 

Both generals died 
heroically. It is said 
that when Wolfe heard 
that the French were in 
retreat, he exclaimed, ''God be praised, I shall die in peace," 
and that Montcalm's last words were: ''Thank God I shall 
not live to see Quebec surrender." 

154. The Treaty of Peace. — The fall of Quebec practically 
ended the war, but the treaty of peace was not made until 
three years later. It was signed in Paris in 1763. 



THE INTERCOLONIAL WARS 



133 



By the terms of this treaty France gave Canada and all 
the French possessions east of the Mississippi to England. 
New Orleans and all the land claimed by France west of the 
Mississippi were given to Spain. Spain ceded Florida to 
England. England permitted France to retain two small 
islands near Newfoundland for the use of the French fishermen. 

The war had settled the great question as to who should 
rule in North America. The English now had control over 
this great portion of the New World. 

Another important result of the war was that the English 
colonists, fighting shoulder to shoulder, learned to know and 
respect each other. They became friends instead of rivals. 
This association of the colonists during the French and Indian 
War had much to do with their success in the great War for 
Independence which occurred about fifteen years later. 




134 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 



SUMMARY 

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN 

AMERICA 

Conflict of Claims. — While the Enghsh were planting their colonies 
on the Atlantic Coast, the French had taken possession of the valley of the 
St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi. The EngHsh claimed 
all this land. The Iroquois Indians in the north and the Allegheny 
Mountains in the west for many years served as barriers between the 
French and EngHsh colonists. Wars between France and England 
in Europe led to conflict between their colonies in America. 

The Intercolonial Wars. — There were four intercolonial wars, 
called King William's, Queen Anne's, King George's, and the 
French and Indian Wars. As a result of the first three wars, the Eng- 
lish obtained possession of Newfoundland, Hudson Bay, and Acadia. 

The French and Indian War. — The French had begun to build 
forts in the valley of the Ohio river, in order to prevent the English from 
invading their territory. George Washington was sent by the Governor 
of Virginia to warn the French against trespassing on Enghsh soil. Instead 
of heeding this warning, the French drove away the EngHsh and built Fort 
Duquesne. 

The EngHsh planned four expeditions against the French: i. To 
capture Fort Duquesne. 2. To capture Ticonderoga and Crown 
Point. 3. Against Louisburg and Acadia. 4. Against Oswego and 
Niagara. Throughout the war, the Indians, with the exception of the 
Iroquois, aided the French. 

In 1755 Braddock marched an army of Bridsh regular and colonial 
troops against Fort Duquesne. His army was ambushed by the French 
and Indians and was badly defeated. 

In 1 756 a formal declaration of war against France was made by England. 
The English suffered several defeats. They expelled the French farmers 
of Acadia to prevent them from aiding their countrymen. When William 
PJtt assumed control of affairs in England, he succeeded in turning the 



SUMMARY 135 

tide of war in favor of the English. In 1758, Washington captured Fort 
Duquesne. Louisburg, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point were also 
taken, and the French were driven back into Canada. 

In 1759, the EngHsh, under General Wolfe, captured the French 
stronghold, Quebec. Both the English and French Generals, Wolfe and 
Montcalm, died on the field of battle. The fall of Quebec ended the 
War. The treaty of peace was signed in 1763. England gained con- 
trol of the greater part of North America. 



CHAPTER XI 
COLONIAL LIFE AND GOVERNMENT 

§ I. LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES 

155. The Thirteen Colonies. — The story of the settlement 
of the Enghsh colonies has been told in a few pages ; but it took 
the mother country more than one hundred years to get her 
colonies established in the New World. Virginia, the first 
colony, was settled in 1607; Georgia, the last colony, was 
settled in 1733. 

There were thirteen colonies in all. They were scattered 
along the Atlantic coast from Maine to the Spanish possessions 
in Florida. They occupied a strip of land, about one hundred 
miles wide, between the Alleghany Mountains and the sea. 
West of these mountains was a wilderness where few white 
men ventured. 

156. The Inhabitants of the Colonies.— Though a majority 
of the colonists were English by birth or descent, yet people 
from many other nations lived in the English colonies. There 
were more Dutch than English in New York, and thousands 
of Germans and ScotchTrish had made their homes in Penn- 
sylvania. There were Dutch and Swedes in Delaware. 
Irishmen and Scotchmen had setded in many of the colonies^ 
especially in the south, and there were many French Huguenots 
in South Carolina and Georgia. 

136 



COLONIAL LIFE AND GOVERNMENT 



137 



The people of the various nationalities, as a rule, got along 

well together. They were loyal to the colonies in which they 

lived, and which their industry and intelligence had helped to 

build up. When the 

time came, they 

fought for their rights 

and liberty side by side 

with their English 

friends and neighbors. 
157. Pioneer Life. 

— Pioneers must be 

strong and sturdy to 

endure the hardships 

they encounter in a 

new country. We 

have studied about 

the sufferings of the 

early colonists. Be- 
fore they were able to build houses they were obliged to be 

content with whatever shelter they 
could get. In some cases they lived 
for a while either in natural caves or 
in places which they dug out for 
themselves. Tents and wigwams 
were also used until something bet- 
ter could be made. 

158. Houses. — Log-cabins were 
built by the early colonists as soon 

as possible. At first they were merely rude huts without 

cellars, the earth serving as floor. Later better houses 




Settler's Log- Cabin. 




Old Way of Getting a Lig-ht. 



138 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 

were built out of sawed logs or planks. Oiled paper, instead 
of glass, was used in the windows. 



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Old Fire-place. 



As there were no stoves in those days, the open fire-place 
was one of the most important parts of the house. Great 

logs were burned in the 
fire-places, and the fire was 
banked with ashes at night 
to prevent it from going out. 
Matches had not been in- 
vented, and fire was ob- 
tained from flint and tinder. 
Iron cranes for holding 
kettles over the fire hung 

A street in New Amsterdam. in the firc-plaCCS. Some 




COLONIAL LIFE AND GOVERNMENT 



139 




kinds of food were cooked directly upon the embers. Meat 
was held over the fire on a spit and turned while it broiled. 
All this is very different from the way cooking is done to-day. 

Of course, 
as time went on, 
the richer peo- 
ple built better 
houses. The 
Dutch Pa- 
troons in New 
York and the 
great planta- 
tion owners of 
the south had 
fine mansions 
with great stair- 
cases built of imported woods, 
sions are still standing. 

159. Furniture. — The houses of the poorer people were 
scantily furnished. The tables, chairs, and benches were 
generally home-made. The early colonists had no carpets 
and lacked many other things which it would seem hard for 
us to be without to-day. 

Wooden dishes were used, except by the wealthier people, 
who had pewter ware or silver imported from the mother 
country. Knives were used, but fingers took the place of forks. 

The fine houses of the rich, of course, had good furniture, 
some of it quite elegant, brought from abroad. Specimens of 
this old furniture are still in existence and are highly prized 
as interesting relics of colonial times. 



Early Philadelphia House. 



Some of these colonial man- 



I40 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 

160. Food and Drink. — The food of the colonists was 
coarse and simple. Corn-meal bread, mush, and molasses 
were staple foods. At first the colonists were obliged to depend 
largely upon hunting and fishing to obtain food. Later, when 
the farmers raised domestic animals, large quantities of salt pork 
and bacon were consumed. 

Tea and coffee were not used in early colonial days. 
The poor and middle-class people commonly drank home- 
brewed beer and hard cider. Rum and brandy were also used. 
The wealthier people had expensive wines upon their tables. 
Alcoholic liquors were indulged in more freely in colonial 
times than is customary to-day. Drunkenness was com- 
mon. 

161. Clothing. — Some of the poorer people dressed in 
clothing made of the skins of animals, leather, or coarse 
canvas. Home-spun clothes, made from sheep's wool, spun 
and woven into cloth by the women, were most commonly 
worn. The men wore knee breeches and coarse woolen stock- 
ings. 

The wealthy people imported silks and laces and other 
rich clothes from England. Silver buckles and buttons were 
used, and the dress of the men, especially of the rich southern 
planters, was almost as gay as that of the women. The people 
of New England and the Quakers dressed in a more simple 
style. 

162. Travel.— Travel was both difficult and dangerous 
in the colonies. Only a few of the smaller streams were 
spanned by bridges. 

At first there were few roads, and these were very poor. 
Some of the roads were mere Indian trails that could only be 



COLONIAL LIFE AND GOVERNMENT 



141 



travelled on foot. 
Over others, pack 
horses could be taken, 
but wagons could not 
be drawn. Later 
some better roads 
were made, and stage- 
coaches were used in 
travelling. One of 
these was called the 
'' Flying Machine," 
because it made the 
journey between New 
York and Philadel- 
phia in two days. 
Express trains to-day 
cover this distance 





Courier. 



Early Travel on Horseback. 

easily in two hours. The 
Conestoga wagon is an inter- 
esting relic of the means of 
travel people used before the 
days of railroads. 

Travel by water was safer 
and cheaper than travel by 
land. Canoes were used on 
the small streams; small sail- 
ing vessels, called shallops, 
plied along the coast. The 
steamboat had not yet been 
invented. 



10 S-ED 



142 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 

163. Communication. — The difficulties of travel made it 
hard for people to communicate with each other. The tele- 
graph and telephone had not been invented. It cost so much 
to send letters that not very many v^ere written. Letters were 
carried by the stage coaches and by couriers on horseback. 
There were only two or three mails a week, even between the 




Old Stage-coach and Inn. 



large towns. In many parts of the country there was no 
regular mail delivery at all. 

164. Books and Newspapers. — The printing in colonial 
days was done by small hand-presses. The first printing 
press in America was used at Harvard College in 1639. The 
first newspaper was printed in Boston, 1704. It was published 



COLONIAL LIFE AND GOVERNMENT 



143 




only once a week. There were no daily newspapers in colonial 
days. 

Almost all the books in the colonies were brought from 
England, and few people were rich enough to own many. 
A Bible and an Almanac formed the 
library in most houses. Poor Richard's 
Almanac, printed by Benjamin Franklin, 
was very popular with the hard-work- 
ing colonists. They found, in the wise 
and witty sayings of Poor Richard, good 
common sense and advice worth follow^- ^^ 
ing. 

165. Manufacturing. — There was 
very little manufacturing done in the 
colonies, because the mother country 
made laws against it. Many of the 

colonies could have become great manufacturing centers. 
They had able workmen, plenty of raw materials, cheap water- 
power, and a good market for their products; but these bad 
laws stood in the way. 

Manufactured goods of every kind had to be brought from 
England. England could not, however, prevent the people 
from making things for themselves. The men made tools, 
farm implements, furniture, and articles of every-day use about 
the house and farm. The women used the spinning-wheel 
and made home-spun clothes. They also wove baskets and 
made straw hats. 

166. Labor. — Negro slavery existed in all the colonies. In 
New England the negroes were employed principally as house 
servants. In the Middle Colonies they were used as laborers 



Hand Printing- Press. 



144 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 



or worked upon the farms. South of Mason and Dixon's 
Hne the negro slaves worked on the great plantations. Here 
they were employed in great numbers. 

There were many white persons who were held in a con- 

LA-rr-t^ ' t. t ^ dition almost 

ATELY imported in the 
Sloop Juguput Cajnr^ very likely 
Negro Men, Boys and Girls, Rum, 
Sugar and Molalles, to be Sold very 
reafonablc by John Inglis. 

Alio Choice good Mad.eira Wine at^ 
^ 18 per Pipcioi: ready Money. 





as bad as sla- 
very. Thous- 




To be SOLD, 

BY Benjamin Pender at Dennis 
Ratchf .d's in Market-Jlreet^ near the iJign 
of the Inetian King, Icvtral Ncgroe Mcn» 
Women and boy»;, at a very reafonablc Price 
for Bread, Flower, &c. 



Lately improted from Antigua 

and to he Sold by Edward Jones in 
I^cc Norris'j Alley, 

APARCFLoflikety Ne. 
gro Women &Girls from thirteen 
_ _ to,one and twenty Year* of age> and have 

al! bad the 5mall-Pox. 

Old Advertisement of Slaves for Sale. 



ands of crimi- 
n al s of all 
kinds were 
taken from 
English prisons 
and sold into 
service in the 
colonies for 
terms of seven 
years or more. 
Besides these 
convict-ser- 
V a n t s , there 
were people 
who had bound 



themselves out 

for a term of years in order to pay their passage to America. 
All these bond-servants were treated like slaves, and whether 
their lot was good or bad depended on the kind of master they 
chanced to have. Some of them became wealthy and prosper- 
ous after they attained their freedom. 

There were very different ideas about labor in the different 
colonies. In New England and the Middle Colonies a man 



COLONIAL LIFE AND GOVERNMENT 1 45 

was ashamed not to work. In the South labor was looked 
upon as degrading and fit only for slaves. 

Daniel Boone, a famous Western pioneer, set out in 1769 
with five others to explore Kentucky. In December he was 
captured by the Indians, but escaped. He spent several weeks 
alone in the wilderness, depending upon his rifle for food. 

In 1773 he was appointed captain in command of the 
garrisons to keep back the hostile Indians. He erected a fort 
at Boonesborough, on the Kentucky River, where he settled 
with his family. In 1780 he was made lieutenant of Lincoln 
County, one of the three divisions of Kentucky Territory. 

The Indians, excited by the increasing immigration of the 
whites, attacked the settlement, and on August 19, 1782, 
fought a desperate battle with four hundred Indians at Blue 
Licks. 

Boone was shrewd, cautious, courageous, and possessed of 
great strength. He was a safe guide and wise counsellor and 
was the founder of Kentucky. He died in 1820 and is buried 
in Frankfort, Kentucky. 

§2. GOVERNMENT OF THE COLONIES 
167. The Three Forms of Colonial Government. — The 

colonies all belonged to England and were under the rule of 
the mother country. All the colonies, however, did not have 
exactly the same form of government. As we learned in 
studying the separate colonies, some of them began with one 
form of government, which was changed later to another form. 
Other colonies continued the form of government under which 
they began, even after they became independent of Great 
Britain. 



146 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA 

There were three distinct forms of colonial government: 
The charter, the proprietary, and the royal or provincial. 

168. The Charter Form of Government. — Massachusetts, 
Rhode Island, and Connecticut each had a charter, or written 
agreement between the king and the colonists. The charter 
gave the people the right to make their own laws and to elect 
their governors, except that in Massachusetts the king had the 
power to appoint the governor. Rhode Island and Connec- 
ticut were so well satisfied with their charters that they con- 
tinued their government under them long after they became 
part of the United States. 

169. The Proprietary Form of Government. — Pennsylvania, 
Delaware, and Maryland were governed by the descendants 
of William Penn and of Lord Baltimore, the original pro- 
prietors. The king had granted the proprietors certain tracts 
of land in the New World and the right to rule the colonies 
which should be established there. 

The proprietors either acted as governors themselves or 
appointed governors to act for them. Fortunately for the 
colonists, Penn and Lord Baltimore were good governors and 
gave the people the right to make their own laws. New Jersey, 
the Carolinas, and Georgia were started under proprietors, 
but afterward became royal provinces. 

170. The Provincial Form of Government. — New Hamp- 
shire, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, 
South Carolina, and Georgia were all provinces under the 
control of the king of England. The king appointed the 
governors for these colonies. 

Although the people in the royal provinces were allowed to 
make their own laws, the governors had great power. They 



COLONIAL LIFE AND GOVERNMENT 1 47 

often used their power tyrannically and interfered greatly 
with the liberties of the people. 

171. SeIf=government in the Colonies. — The colonial gov- 
ernments were all alike in some respects — in each colony there 
was a legislature cojisisting of two branches, the lower branch, 
or representatives, being elected by the people. In these 
legislatures the taxes were levied and the laws were made. 
The legislatures were not allowed to make any laws contrary 
to the laws of the mother country. 

The right to vote was given only to men who owned a 
certain amount of property. A voter also had to be a member 
of church. 

In New England the people often assembled in town- 
meetings, where every man had a right to speak. In Virginia, 
county meetings were held, but not so frequently as the town- 
meetings of New England, because of the distance between 
plantations and the difficulties of travel. 

In these ways the colonists got practice in voting and in 
law-making, thus learning how to govern themselves. The 
conditions of their pioneer lives taught them to depend upon 
themselves and to endure great hardships. While conquering 
the wilderness, they learned to love the country, and seemed 
to breathe in with its free air a spirit of liberty and independence. 
It was this spirit that later became known as '' the spirit of '76, " 
when they declared themselves independent of Great Britain 
and won a place among free nations as the United States of 
America. 



PART IV 

HOW THE COLONIES BECAME THE UNITED 

STATES 



THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 

172. We have learned how the English gained control of 
North America. The colonies now had nothing to fear from 
the French. Fighting side by side in the Colonial Wars they 
had learned to respect each other. They had also learned the 
value of union. Unjust and oppressive treatment by Great 
Britain forced them still closer together for their own defense. 
The refusal of England to consider the claims of the colonies 
for justice and fair play led them to rebel against the mother 
country. A long war resulted, at the close of which Great 
Britai'n was compelled to recognize the United States as a free 
nation. This war is often referred to as the Revolution, but 
as it led to the independence of the colonies, perhaps the 
War for Independence is a better name for it. 

148 



CHAPTER XII. 
CAUSES OF THE WAR 

173. Interference with Commerce. — The King of England 
regarded the American colonies as sources of gain. The 
commerce of America had been carried to a great extent 
by Dutch vessels. It was determined that England should 
have a monopoly of this profitable trade. As early as 165 1 the 
Parliament of England had begun to pass certain laws known 
as Navigation Acts, which were very hard on American trade. 
The Navigation Acts provided that only English or colonial 
vessels might carry products to the colonies, and that all goods 
imported by the colonists must come from some English port 
Smuggling was resorted to in order to evade these unjust laws. 
These laws were not well enforced. The revenue officers them- 
selves were sometimes guilty of smuggling. 

174. Enforcement of the Navigation Acts. — After the 
French and Indian War, however, when George III. became 
King, it was decided that these navigation laws should be 
strictly enforced. Writs of assistance were issued, giving cus- 
j,oms officers the right to enter any man's house and search for 
smuggled goods. 

The enforcement of the Navigation Acts bore most heavily 
upon the New England colonies which had been carrying on a 
profitable trade with the Spanish and French West Indies. 
The activity of the customs-house officers served to embitter 

149 



ISO 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



the colonists. A spirit of opposition to British rule was aroused 
which afterward grew into the demand for independence. 

175. Taxation Without Representation. — England also at- 
tempted to raise money by levying taxes on the Americans 
without their consent. The colonists were not allowed to send 
representatives to Parliament, and they believed that they were 
not getting their rights as English subjects. 

The Stamp Act was passed in 1765. It required the 
colonists to use stamps on all important docu- 
ments, pamphlets, and newspapers. The 
Stamp Act was greeted with a stoim of indig- 
nation. The reason given for the passage of 
the act was that the Americans should help pay 
for the support of a British army in America. 
The colonists contended, however, that an army 
was not necessary. 

Patrick Henry, the famous orator of Vir- 
ginia, aroused the people by his fiery eloquence. James Otis of 
Massachusetts denounced the injustice of 
Great Britain, and asserted that ''Taxation 
without representation is tyranny." Samuel 
Adams, called the ''Father of the Revo- 
lution," and other speakers also denounced 
the Stamp Act The act was repealed in 
1766, but England still claimed the right to 
tax the colonists. 

176. The Boston Tea=party.— In 1767 
another tax was ordered. This required a duty to be paid on 
all imported glass, paper, paints, and tea. This tax also met 
with stubborn resistance, and Parliament decided to remove all 




Stamp Used in 1765 




Patrick Henry. 



CAUSES OF THE WAR. 151 

tht taxes except a very small tax on tea. But the colonists were 
opposed to the principle of taxation without representation, and 
the ship-loads of tea sent over to America were either sent back 
or destroyed. In Philadelphia, on Oct. i6, 1773, a town meet- 
ing of protest proclaimed that it was " the duty of every Amer- 
ican " to oppose this tax. Paul Revere, who afterward carried 
the news of the coming of the British troops to Lexington, 
rode from Boston to Philadelphia and returned with news of 
the action of the Pennsylvania colonists. In Boston in 
November an entire ship-load of tea was thrown overboard 
by a number of men disguised as Indians. This daring deed 
became known as the ''Boston Tea-party," although Balti- 
more, Philadelphia, and New York were equally active in 
destroying or returning the tea. 

177. British Army in America. — The opposition of the 
colonists enraged the King and Parliament of England, and a 
law was passed closin the port of Boston until the tea which 
had been destroyed should be paid for, and proper respect 
shown to the King. 

The people of Massachusetts were not to be allowed to 
govern themselves, but were to be under the rule of General 
Gage, who was ordered to Boston with several regiments, of 
British soldiers. 

The Sons of Liberty. — A secret order of men, determined 
to oppose EngHsh tyranny, had set up several "liberty poles," 
which had been cut down by the British soldiers. Early in 
1770 the redcoats pulled down and cut to pieces the fourth 
pole that had been erected by the citizens. This led to a 
clash between the soldiers and the people on Golden Hill, 
in the vicinity of what is now John and William Streets, 



152 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



SO called because it was a sloping field of grain which gleamed 
like gold in the sun. A fight ensued and several on both 
sides were wounded. This was the first blood shed in the 
Revolutionary War. 



On The Common Of The City Of New York 

Near Where This Building Now Stands There 

Stood From 1706 To 1776 A Liberty Pole Erected 

To Commemorate The Repeal Of The Stamp Act 

It Was Repeatedly Destroyed By The Violence Of 

. The Tories And As Repeatedly Replaced By The 

Sons Of Liberty Who Organized A Constant 

Watch And Guard. In Its Defence The 

First Martyr Blood Of The American 
Revolution Was Shed On Jan. 18, 1770. 

D. 1897 Erected By The Mary Washington Colonial Chapter, 
Daughters Of The American Revolution. 



Tablet in the General Post Ofiace, New York City. 



Golden Hill. 

Here January 18, 1770, 

The Fight Took Place Between The 

'' Sons Of Liberty " 

And The 

British Regulars, i6th Foot. 

First Blood In The 

War Of The Revolution. 

Erected By The Sons Of The Revolution. 



Tablet Northwest Corner of John and William Streets. 

178. The Boston Massacre. — There were frequent quar- 



CAUSES OF THE WAR 1 53 

rels between these soldiers and the people of Boston. In one 
of these conflicts (1770) the British soldiers fired upon a mob 
which had been annoying them. Five persons were killed and 
four dangerously wounded. This became known as the Boston 
Massacre and served to add fuel to the rage of the colonists. 

179. The Continental Congress. — The First Continental 
Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774. All the colonies except 
Georgia were represented in this Congress. It sent a petition 
to England for a redress of grievances. There was no talk of 
independence yet. The demands of the American colonies 
were respectful, but firm. England, however, would not Hsten 
to them. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
THE WAR IN NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA 



180. The War Near Boston. — The first events of the war 
occurred near Boston. The Boston Massacre had shown 
what was to come. The first real fighting occurred April 19 
1775, at Concord, about twenty miles from Boston. On tht 
way they stopped at Lexington to arrest the "arch rebels,'' 
Samuel Adams and John Hancock. A conflict occurred here 
between the British soldiers and 

some "minute men," that is, men 
ready to fight at a minute's notice, 
and seven Americans were killed. 
At Concord the British destroyed 
some flour and two cannon, but 
failed to find most of the military 
stores — powder, bullets, and guns — 
belonging to the Americans. Mean- 
while the farmers had been aroused, 
and many of the British were killed 
on their retreat to Lexington and 
thence to Boston. 

181. Second Continental Congress. 
nental Congress met at Philadelphia, May 10, 1775. While 
this Congress recognized George III. as the rightful sovereign 
of the colonies, it took measures to raise an army and to defray 
the expenses of the war. George Washington, of Virginia, was 
appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental army. 

154 




George Washing-ton. 



The Second Conti- 



THE WAR IN NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA 1 55 

182. Bunker Hili.— The first really important battle of 
the war is known as the battle of Bunker Hill. The British 
attempted to dislodge the American army from a strong posi- 
tion they had taken on a hill overlooking Boston. The Ameri- 
cans were under command of Prescott, Putnam, and Warren, 
and numbered about fifteen hundred. The British were twice 
repulsed; but the third time, owing to lack of ammunition and 
the small numbers, the Americans were driven back. The 
loss was heavy on both sides. Though defeated the colonists 
had shown that they could fight for their rights. 

183. British Driven from Boston. — During the winter of 
1775-76 Boston was besieged by the Americans under Wash- 
ington. In March, 1776, Washington succeeded in forcing the 
English to withdraw. They left Boston and sailed to Canada. 
The American army then entered the city of Boston. The 
British never recaptured the city. 

184. The Invasion of Canada. — Meanwhile Generals 
Montgomery and Arnold made an attempt to invade Canada. 
Montgomery took Montreal, and was later joined by Arnold 
with a wretched army. The soldiers had si>ffered greatly from 
disease during their heroic march through the wilderness of 
Maine. The attack on Quebec was a failure; Montgomery 
was killed and Arnold was badly wounded. Shortly after, the 
Americans were driven out of Canada. 

185. Demand for Independence Grows. — Up to this time 
the Americans had been fighting, not for independence, but for 
their rights as British subjects. The conduct of England, 
however, was driving them to the demand for independence. 

The earliest revolt against British rule occurred in Meck- 
lenburg County, North Carolina, May, 1775. It was prac- 



156 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



tically a declaration of independence, as resolutions were passed 
denying to Great Britain the right to rule the colonies until she 
should agree to their demands for justice. In the same year at 
Richmond, Virginia, Patrick Henry made another stirring 
speech to the Virginia "House of Burgesses," demanding that 
"Virginia be put immediately into a state of defense." 

Early in 1776, a pamphlet was published by Thomas Paine, 
a noted free-thinker. The pamphlet was entitled "Common 
Sense." In it was the bold assertion that the time had come 
when the Americans must fight for independence from Great 
Britain. This little book had an immense sale and greatly 
stirred the people, who saw in it the frank expression of what 
they themselves really thought, but were afraid to express. In 
reply to the colonists' plea for justice, King George called for 
troops to put down the rebellion. The next news was that 
England had hired Hessian soldiers to fight the Americans. 




.Reduced Facsimile of the First Two Paragraphs of the Declaration of In- 
dependence. 



186. The Declaration of Independence. — In June, 1776, 
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia made this motion in Congress: 



THE WAR IN NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA 



157 



''Resolved that these united colonies are, and oj right ought to be, 
jree and independent states.'''' The resolution was seconded by 
John Adams of Massachusetts, and a com- 
mittee was appointed to draw up a Decla- 
ration of Independence. The Declaration 
was written by Thomas Jefferson, of Vir- 
ginia, and signed at Philadelphia, by John 
Hancock, president of the Congress, and 
other members on July 4, 1776. Thus 
the United States of America had its 

Thomas Jefferson. beginning. 




11 S-ED 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE STATES 

187. The War in New York and New Jersey. — The British 
tried to gain possession of the 
Hudson River so as to cut off 
New England from the rest of 
the colonies. British troops un- 
der General Howe had been en- 
camped on Staten Island, and 
they were joined by his brother, 
Admiral Howe, who came with 




158 



THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE STATES 



159 



a fleet and reinforcements. To prevent the British from 
ascending the Hudson, Forts Washington and Lee were 
built {see map, page 158). General Putnam, in command of 
8000 men on Brooklyn Heights, was attacked by Howe with 
20,000 British regulars. This 
was the battle of Long Island. 
Washington, taking advantage 
of a dense fog, withdrew the 
troops across the river. He 
sent Nathan Hale, a captain 
in the service, to gather informa- 
tion of the enemy's movements. 
Hale, disguised as a farmer, 
visited the British camp at 
Long Island, made observations, 
and was about to return, when 
he was recognized. He was 
executed as a spy. His last 
words were 'T regret only that 
I have but one Hfe to lose 
for my country." 

Washington continued the 
retreat across New Jersey. He 
was closely followed by the 
British under Cornwallis. At 

Trenton he crossed the Delaware. He prevented the enemy 
from following him by seizing all the boats on that part of the 
river. On Christmas night (1776) Washington with a force 
of two thousand men recrossed the Delaware and surprised the 
Hessians. He took a thousand prisoners and secured a large 




statue of Nathan Hale in City- 
Hall Park. 



i6o 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



amount of ammunition. This unexpected victory revived the 
drooping spirits of the American soldiers, who were becoming 
thoroughly disheartened. Their families were destitute, and 




American Army Retreating* from the Battle of Long Island Across the East 
River During- the Revolution. 



the paper money of the Continental Congress with which they 
were paid was worth almost nothing. 

Robert Morris, a banker of Philadelphia, came to Washing- 
ton's assistance at this time with a loan of 
$50,000 in coin. This saved the army. 
Shortly afterward Washington again out- 
witted Cornwallis and gained an import- 
ant victory at Princeton. The American 
army then took a strong position in the 
hills about Morristown. CornwaUis 
feared to attempt to dislodge them. 

Early in 1777 the first American flag, 
the stars and stripes, was made in Phila- 
delphia and accepted by Congress. Captain John Paul Jones, 
of Virginia, whose daring and seamanship did much for 




John Paul Jones. 



THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE STATES 



l6l 



the success of the war, was the first to raise this flag on the 
sea. 




188. Cap= 
ture of Philadel= 
phia. — Philadelphia 
was then the capital of 
the United States. 
Washington having pre- 
vented the British from taking it by land, General Howe re- 
turned to New York and fitted out a naval expedition against 
the city. He sailed up Chesapeake Bay so as 
to avoid the forts on the Delaware, and 
marched northward toward Philadelphia. 
He met and defeated Washington at Bran- 
dy wine Creek, and thus gained possession 
of the city. 

189. Valley Forge. — Washington, after an 
unsuccessful attack on the British at German- 
town, fell back with his army to Valley Forge. 
Here General Anthony Wayne's knowledge of the country 




Anthony Wayne. 



l62 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



enabled them to select a well-protected camp, where they spent 
the winter of 1777-78. It was the darkest winter of the war, 
the sufferings of the army being terrible. Yet the important 
work of drilling the army went on, and the camp itself was so 
well fortified that Howe 
dared not attack it. This 
was largely due to the 
efforts of Baron Steuben, a 
Prussian military engineer, 
who had come to this 
country to assist the Amer- 
icans in their struggle for 
independence. 

190. Burgoyne Surren= 
ders. — While the war had 
been progressing in south- 
ern New York, New Jersey, 
and Pennsylvania, an ex- 
pedition had been started by the British 
under General Burgoyne from the north. 
He was to march down from Canada and 
join General Howe, thus securing control of 
the Hudson and dividing the colonies in two. 

The expedition, however, was a complete 
failure. While Washington delayed Howe, 
Schuyler and Arnold succeeded in harassing 
Burgoyne and weakening his army. They were aided by the 
farmers of New England and by Morgan's famous sharp- 
shooters. Burgoyne was defeated at the battles of Benning- 
ton and Saratoga, and was forced to surrender October 17, 




THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE STATES 1 63 

1777, with his entire army of about six thousand. This was a 
severe blow to the British. 

191. Help from France. — Burgoyne's surrender completely 
spoiled Howe's plans, and may be considered the greatest 
victory of the war because it helped the United States to 
secure the aid of France. 

The next year, 1778, Benjamin Franklin, our minister 
to France, received a pledge from the king of France, who 
promised to send money, ships, and men. France also ac- 
knowledged the independence of the colonies. 

Clinton, who had succeeded Howe, 
feared that a French fleet might pre- 
vent his escape from Philadelphia. He 
therefore abandoned that city and 
marched across New Jersey to New 
York, where most of the British forces 
were now stationed. 

During this year a young Virginian, 
George Rogers Clark, by a hard and Benjamin Frankim. 
skilful campaign through the great 

wilderness then known as ''the Ohio country," saved to the 
United States the vast stretch of country from the Great 
Lakes south. 

Treason of Benedict Arnold. — At this time Arnold had 
violated some of the rules of war and Congress ordered Wash- 
ington to reprimand him. He resolved on revenge, and asked 
to be placed in command at West Point, which he planned 
with General Clinton to surrender to the British. The repre- 
sentative of General Clinton was Major Andre. On Andre's 
return from Arnold he was captured by three militiamen. 




1 64 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



Treasonable papers were found in his boot. His capture was 
reported to Arnold, who quickly made his escape. Andre 
was tried by court martial and hanged as a spy. 





Francis Marion. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE WAR IN THE SOUTH 

192. The Capture of Yorktown. — The British now decided 
to conquer the South*, so that even if they 
should lose the war, they might at least 
hold this portion of their former posses- 
sions. Their plan was to begin at Geor- 
gia and fight their way northward. They 
were at first entirely successful and gained 
possession of Georgia and South Caro- 
lina. But the harassing guerilla warfare 
of General Francis Marion, called the 
'' Swamp Fox " because of the speed 

and secrecy of his actions, and of Gen- 
erals Sumter and Morgan, together with 
the skill and courage of General Na- 
thaniel Greene, who was, next to Wash- 
ington, the ablest American general of 
the Revolution, finally (1781) forced 
C o r n w a 1 1 i s into 
Yorktown, Virginia, 
and shut up the rest 
of the British in 
Charleston, South Carolina. 

Lafayette, a young French nobleman 
who had come to this country, also ren- 
dered valuable assistance during this cam- 
paign. While CornwalHs was at York- 




Nathaniel Greene. 




i66 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA 



town, a French fleet arrived. This fleet blockaded the Ches- 
apeake and prevented the escape of the British. Washington 
led General Clinton, the commander of the British troops in 




New York, to believe that he was preparing to attack him. 
He then marched rapidly down to the head of Chesapeake 
Bay, and proceeded thence by vessels to Yorktown. Corn- 
wallis saw that he could not resist the combined forces of 



THE WAR IN THE SOUTH 167 

America and France. He accordingly surrendered, October 
19, 1781. 

193. The Treaty of Paris. — In 1783 a treaty of peace was 
made at Paris. The independence of the United States 
was acknowledged with the following boundaries : north by 
Canada, west by the Mississippi River, south by Florida, 
which was transferred to Spain. 

194. The New Nation. — During the war the colonies were 
loosely governed by the Continental Congress. An attempt 
had been made to draw up a better form of government. 
Articles of Confederation were agreed upon by the states, but 
did not go into effect until 1781. They were found to be a 
very unsatisfactory form of union, and in 1787 a new consti- 
tution was adopted. It provided for a Congress, a system of 
courts, and a president. This constitution is still the supreme 
law of the land. Under its wise provisions, the United States 
has grown wonderfully in prosperity and power until to-day 
it is one of the leading nations of the world. 

In 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as first 
president of the United States, under the new constitution. 



APPENDIX 



CITY OF NEW YORK 



HISTORIC LANDMARKS, MONUMENTS, AND 
• EVENTS CONNECTED WITH NEW YORK 



169 



HOMES OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1804-1914 171 




New Building- 
Seventy-sixth — Seventy-seventh Street— Central Park West. 




~'t*s.s»M^^?x_^_^ - 



COLUMBUS COLUMN 
Fifty-ninth Street and Eighth Avenue, Manhattan. 

172 



HISTORIC PLACES 

Bowling Green. — In the center of the old Dutch town of 
New Amsterdam was an open space which was used by the 
people as a general meeting-place. It served as a playground 
for the children and as a parade ground for the soldiers. Here 
the Dutch burghers used to play at "bowls," and hence it 
was called the ''Bowling Green." It is the oldest park in 
Manhattan. 

Near the Green, where the Custom House now stands, 
was Fort Amsterdam, a fortified enclosure which contained 
the house of the governor, the soldiers' barracks, a church, 
and a windmill. The following tablet affixed to the Custom 
House commemorates the old fort: 



The Site Of Fort Amsterdam 

Built In 1626. 

Within The Fortifications 

Was Erected The First 

Substantial Church Edifice 

On The Island Of Manhattan. 

In 1787 The Fort 

Was Demolished 

And The Government House 

Built Upon This Site. 

This Tablet Is Placed Here By 

The Holland Society 

Of New York. 
September, 1890. 



174 



HISTORIC PLACES 



175 



A statue of Abraham de Peyster, who was mayor of the 
city in 1691, stands at the southern end of BowKng Green. 

The **Bouwerie" (Bowery). — When Governor Peter Stuy- 
vesant was retired from his ofhcial position by the EngUsh, 
he went to Hve on his farm, or '^bouwerie," in the neighbor- 




St. Mark's Church, Tenth Street at Second Avenue. 



hood of Fourth Avenue and Tenth Street. From Stuyvesant's 
farm a path led southward to the city, which was known as 
the "Bouwerie Lane," and afterward as "Bouwerie Road." 
It is now called ''The Bowery." 



176 



APPENDIX 



St. Mark's Church. — Peter Stuyvesant had a numerous 
retinue of servants and laborers, and he buih a church on his 
estate at the corner of Second Avenue and Tenth Street as a 
convenient place of worship. Around the church was a bury- 
ing ground; and here the tough old soldier was buried at his 
death in 1672. 

The old church has long since passed away; but a new 
one, the present St. Mark's, was built on the same site. This 
edifice is the oldest house of worship in New York City. The 
flat stone which covered Stuyvesant's grave was built into the 
wall of the church. The inscription on this stone became so 
worn that the old stone was replaced by a new one exactly 
like the old. Here is a picture of the new stone : 



nIB^B 






ifSl 


l^ij^« 


r 




e 




i 


^' Cap 

iincl tb 


j 11 illTS \ 

PETKU5 5 

a in General and G- 
-D\iiaiWeil-In<l(n Til 


uncis 4. 




-1 










»,«»«<0«»p»W*- 


■^.m--'-^*^-^ 












_J 



Memorial Tablets. — New York abounds in historic spots 
and associations. To preserve the memory of famous places 



HISTORIC PLACES 



177 



and events memorial tablets have been erected here and 
there throughout the city. Some of these are gifts to the 
city from the Holland Society; some have been set up by 
the "Sons" and ''Daughters" of the "Revolution"; and 
others by various societies and individuals, and by the city 
itself. 

The Old **Stadt Huys" (City Hall).— At No. 73 Pearl 
Street, the oldest street in the city, was erected in the early 
days of New Amsterdam the first City Tavern, for the enter- 
tainment of traders and other guests. The first public school 
in the colony was conducted in this building, and later on it 
became the City Hall. The tablet affixed to the wall of the 
building now occupying the site is inscribed: 



The Site Of The 

First Dutch House Of Entertainment 

On The Island Of Manhattan. 

Later The Site Of The Old ''Stadt Huys" 

Or City Hall. 

This Tablet Is Placed Here By 

The Holland Society Of New York. 

September 1890. 



The Reading of the Declaration.— The most important 
event in the history of our country is kept fresh in our minds 
by the tablet on the west wing of our present City Hall; for 
here the Declaration of Independence was read and proclaimed 
to the people and the Continental Army assembled on the 



12 



178 



APPENDIX 



''Common/' which we now call ''City Hall Park." The fol- 
lowing is the inscription: 



Near This Spot In The Presence Of 

General George Washington 

The Declaration Of Independence 

Was Read And Published 

To The 

American Army 

July 9, 1776. 



At No. I Broadway there is a tablet inscribed 



Here Stood Kennedy House 

Once Headquarters Of 

Generals Washington And Lee. 

On The Bowling Green 

Opposite, The Leaden Statue 

Of King George Was 

Destroyed By The People 

July 9, 1776, And Later 

Made Into Bullets For The 

American Army. 



King George's Statue.— Soon after George III became 
king of England in 1760 his faithful subjects in New York 
erected a leaden statue to his honor on Bowling Green. The 
statue represented the king in uniform, wearing his crown and 
mounted on horseback. But between 1760 and 1776 these 



HISTORIC PLACES 



179 



faithful subjects of the king rebelled against him. Immediately 
after the reading of the Declaration of Independence, as de- 
scribed on the preceding page, the people tore down the 
king's portrait which hung in the City Hall, and trampled upon 
and finally burned it. Then they overturned the king's statue 
and broke it to pieces. The most of the fragments were after- 
ward molded into bullets to shoot the king's soldiers, but 
some may still be seen in the Museum of the American His- 
torical Society. 

Washington and Putnam. — Shortly after Washington's 
retreat from Brooklyn the British crossed the East River in 
hot pursuit of the retreating Americans, who were in two 
divisions, under the command of Washington and General 
Israel Putnam. Both parties were nearly captured, but 
finally escaped the British and joined forces on the west side 
of Broadway between Forty-third and Forty-fourth Streets, 
where a tablet has been set up by the Sons of the Revolution 
to commemorate the meeting of the two generals and the 
successful retreat of the army: 



General George Washington 

And 

General Israel Putnam 

Met Near This Spot During 

The Movement Of The 

American Army 

September 15, 1776 

The Day Before The 

Battle Of Harlem. 



i8o 



APPENDIX 



Battle of Harlem Heights. — On the day succeeding the 
meeting of Putnam and Washington a hard battle was fought 
by the British and Americans, in which the latter were badly 
worsted. This event took place at ii8th Street and Broadway. 




Tablet to Commemorate the Battle of Harlem Heig-hts, Won by Washing-- 
ton's Troops on this Site, September 6, 1776. Erected by the Sons of the 
Revolution in the State of New York. 



A pictorial bronze tablet has been placed on one of the build- 
ings of Columbia University which now occupies the site. 
The tablet portrays the fall of two brave young officers, 
Colonel Knowlton and Major Leitch, as they were leading the 
attack against the Hessians. 



HISTORIC PLACES 



l8l 





^9 

■■^^■s ^^^^B B^^^B 

^p S P^'- j 

^s 1 






ll.yi 


w w/ 


Lr- i'MmJ 


.|^- "■* 



The Jumel Mansion. 

The Jumel Mansion. — There are many houses scattered 
over the battlegrounds of the Revolution in New York and 
New Jersey known as ^'Washington's Headgrounds" ; one of 
these stands on i6ist Street near St. Nicholas Avenue, and has 
been called at various times the "Morris House,'' the ''Jumel 



Washington's Headquarters. 

This Tablet Is Dedicated By The 

Washington Heights Chapter 

Daughters Of The American Revolution 

To The Memory Of 

General George Washington. 

Who Occupied This Mansion As His Headquarters 

From September i6th To October 21st, 1776. 

Battle Of Harlem Heights, September i6th. 

Councils Of War. 

President Washington Visited This Mansion 

Accompanied By His Cabinet, July, 1790. 

Morris House, 1758. Jumel Mansion, 1810. 

Earle Cliff, 1900. 



l82 



APPENDIX 



Mansion/' and ^'Earle Cliff," from the names of successive 
owners. Washington and his officers made their headquarters 
here after the battle of Harlem Heights. The house contains 
many curious relics of Colonial times. At the right of the 
entrance is a beautiful tablet ornamented with a bust of Wash- 
ington. 




statue of Alexander Hamilton in Central Park. 



Alexander Hamilton. — The most brilliant statesman in the 
early history of our country, one of the two ^Tathers of the 
Constitution," famed as a scholar and a soldier, the name of 
Alexander Hamilton is one of the most honored among our 



HISTORIC PLACES 1 83 

citizens. His death was as unfortunate and untimely as his 
life had been successful and honorable. He was fatally 
wounded in a duel with his personal enemy and political 
rival, Aaron Burr. His death plunged the entire country into 
mourning and all the distinguished men of the nation attended 
the ceremonies of burial. His tomb in Trinity Churchyard is 
seen every day by passing thousands. The inscription reads: 



To The Memory Of 

Alexander Hamilton. 

The Corporation Of Trinity Church Has Erected This 

Monument 

In Testimony Of Their Respect 

The Patriot Of Incorruptible Integrity 

The Soldier Of Approved Valour 

The Statesman Of Consummate Wisdom 

Whose Talents And Virtues Will Be Admired 

By 

Grateful Posterity 

Long After This Marble Shall Have Mouldered Into Dust 

He Died July 12th 1804 Aged 47 



St. Paul's Chapel.— The city block between Vesey and 
Fulton Streets is occupied by St. Paul's Chapel and the Trinity 
Parish Home. The chapel is significant of the great changes- 
which have taken place in this busy section of the city, for it 
faces toward Church Street on the west while its rear abuts on 
Broadway, which at the time of its erection in 1766 was the 
less important street. 

President Washington attended service in St. Paul's while 
New York was the seat of the National Government. The 
pew which he occupied is still marked with his name. In the 



1 84 APPENDIX 

chapel are two memorial tablets; the first is in honor of the 
centennial of the inauguration of the First President: 



In Commemoration 

Of 

The Centennial Of The Inauguration 

Of 

George Washington 

The 

First President Of The United States 

April Thirtieth MDCCCLXXXIX 

Erected By 
The Aisle Committee At Services 
Held In St. Paul's Chapel, N. Y. 



The second is in memory of the centennial anniversary of 
his death: 



This Tablet 

Is Erected In Commemoration Of 

The Centennial Anniversary Services 

Of The 

Death Of His Excellency 

General George Washington 

Commander-in-Chief Of The Armies Of The United States 

During The War Of The Revolution 

Observed At St. Paul's Chapel, 

On The Broadway, New York 

December 14, 1899. 

General Society Sons of The Revolution 

Of The In The 

Cincinnati State Of New York. 



HISTORIC PLACES 



185 



Distinguished Graves. — One of the famous revolutionary 
patriots in St. Paul's is the grave of James Montgomery, who 
fell in the attack on Quebec in 1759. In Trinity Churchyard 
are the graves of Robert Fulton, Albert Gallatin, and Captain 
James Lawrence, the hero of the Chesapeake. A monument 
to the dead soldiers bears this inscription: 



Sacred To The Memory Of 

Those Brave And Good Men Who Died 

Whilst Imprisoned In This City, For Their Devotion To The 

Cause Of American Independence. 




The Soldiers' Monument in Trinity Churchyard, 



1 86 APPENDIX 

In the Collegiate Dutch church, at Fifth Avenue and 
Forty-eighth Street, is another memorial of the dead of 
the Revolution, erected by the Daughters of the Revolu- 
tion in 1900: 



In Honor Of The 
Officers, Soldiers And Sailors 

Who Served 

In The War Of Independence 

Against 

Great Britain, 

1775-1783- 



Erected By The 
Daughters Of The Revolution 
Of The State Of New York. 



Fraunce's Tavern.— The Revolutionary War with Great 
Britain was ended by a treaty of peace signed at Paris, Sep- 
tember 3, 1783. The last British soldier left the country on 
November 5th following, a date which we celebrate as ''Evacu- 
ation Day." A few days afterward Washington, his generals, 
the chief officers of the state and city, and many distinguished 
citizens met at Fraunce's Tavern, at the corner of Pearl and 
Broad Streets, for a parting handshake and a banquet in 
honor of the new nation; George Clinton, the first governor of 
the new state of New York, gave the chief address. After the 
ceremonies the brave men who had stood together for eight 
years met in the ''Long Room" to say "Farewell." On the 



HISTORIC PLACES 



187 



Broad Street side of the tavern a tablet has been placed in 
memory of the event: 



Fraunce's Tavern — To This Buildina; 

General George Washington 

Came Evacuation Day, Nov. 25, 1783, 

And On Thursday, Dec. 4th 

Following, Here Took Leave Of The Principal 

Officers Of The Army Yet In Service. 

Erected By The Sons Of The Revolution. 



Federal Hall. — In the midst of the money-center of New 
York, ''where the treasury's marble front looks over Wall 
Street's mingled nations," on the very site of the Sub-Treasury 
Building, stood Federal Hall, the first Capitol of the United 
States of America. On a pedestal built into the steps leading 
up to the entrance to the building is a splendidly executed 
statue of the First President. The inscription at the base of 
the statue reads: 



On This Site In Federal Hall 

April 30, 1789, 

George Washington 

Took The Oath As The First President 

Of The United States 

Of America. 



Here were held the services in honor of the one hundredth 
anniversary of the inauguration of the First President; and the 



1 88 APPENDIX 

poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, standing near the statue, read 
the following poem, which he had written in honor of the occa- 
sion: 

THE VOW OF WASHINGTON 

The sword was sheathed: in April's sun 
Lay green the fields by Freedom won ; 
And severed sections, weary of debates, 
Joined hands at last and were United States. 

O City, sitting by the sea! 
How proud the day that dawned on thee, 
When the new era, long desired, began, 
And, in its need, the hour had found the man! 

One thought the cannon salvos spoke, 

The resonant bell-tower's vibrant stroke. 

The voiceful streets, the plaudit-echoing 'halls, 

And prayer and hymn borne heavenward from St. Paul's! 

How felt the land in every part 
The strong throb of a nation's heart. 
As its great leader gave, with reverent awe, 
His pledge to Union, Liberty, and Law! 

That pledge the heavens above him heard. 
That vow the sleep of centuries stirred; 
In world-wide wonder listening peoples bent 
Their gaze on Freedom's great experiment. 

Could it succeed? Of honor sold 

And hopes deceived all history told. 

Above the wrecks that strewed the mournful past 

Was the long dream of ages true at last? 



HISTORIC PLACES 



189 



Thank God! the people's choice was just, 
The one man equal to his trust, 
Wise beyond lore, and without weakness good, 
Calm in the strength of flawless rectitude! 



His rule of justice, order, peace, 

Made possible the world's release; 

Taught prince and serf that power is but a trust. 

And rule, alone, which serves the ruled, is just; 

That freedom generous is, but strong 
In hate of fraud and selfish wrong, 
Pretence that turns her holy truths to lies. 
And lawless license masking in her guise. 



Land of his love! with one glad voice 

Let thy great sisterhood rejoice; 

A century's suns o'er thee have risen and set. 

And, God be praised, we are one nation yet. 



One people now, all doubt beyond. 

His name shall be our Union-bond; 

We lift our hands to Heaven, and here and now. 

Take on our lips the Old Centennial vow. 

The First Presidential Mansion. — One could hardly believe 
on visiting Cherry Street, near the Manhattan Pier of the 
Brooklyn Bridge, that the neighboring district was once the 
society center of New York. Yet such is the case, and Num- 
ber 1 was once the residence of the most distinguished American 
citizen, as is inscribed on the tablet: 



I go APPENDIX 



The First 

Presidential Mansion 

No. I Cherry St., 

Occupied By 

George Washington 

From April 23, 1789, 

To February 23, 1790. 

Erected By The Mary Washington Colonial Chapter 

Daughters Of The American Revolution. 



These are a few of the distinguished landmarks and monu- 
ments of the Borough of Manhattan. Among the interesting 
places in the Borough of Brooklyn are the remains of the old 
fort on Lookout Mountain and the Maryland Monument 
standing on its slope, built by that state in honor of its soldiers 
who fell in the Battle of Long Island. The tablet at Fifth 
Avenue and Third Street, where these same soldiers died to 
cover the retreat of their comrades, reads: 



The Site 

Of The * 

Old Cortelyou House 

On The 

Battle Field Of Long Island 

Here on the 27th of August, 1775, two hundred and fifty out of four 
hundred brave Maryland soldiers under the command of Lord Stir- 
ling were killed in combat with British troops under Cornwallis. 



HISTORIC PLACES 



191 



In Fort Greene Park stands a fine monument in memory of 
the American prisoners who were confined in ships, and who 
died as a result of the bad treatment which they received at 
the hands of the British. Their bodies were buried in the sands 
of the beach, and a century afterward their bones were gathered 
together and buried where the monument now stands. 




The Fort Greene Monument. 



NDEX. 



[Numbers refer to paragraphs.] 



Acadia 36 

Acadians, removal of 151 

Adams, Samuel 180 

Albany Congress 144 

Albany (Fort Orange) . . 42, 117 

Amsterdam, New 118 

Arnold, General 184, iqo 

Articles of Confederation 194 

Asia, European trade with 4 

Bacon's Rebellion 65 

Balboa 22 

Baltimore, Lord 67, 68 

Bennington 190 

Berkeley, Sir William , 65 

Boston . . 95 

Boston Massacre . 1 78 

Boston Tea Party 1 76 

Braddock's defeat 150 

Bradford, William 92 

Bunker Hill 182 

Burgoyne, General 190 

Cabot, John and Sebastian 27 

Calvert, Sir George 66 

Canada 35) 40 

Canada, Invasion of 184 

Carteret 122, 123 

Cartier 35 

Champlain 37 

Charles 1 68, 94, 96 

Charles II 75, 90, 107, 121, 126 

Charleston 76 

Charlestown 95 



Circumnavigation of Globe. 23 

Clayborne's Rebellion 72 

Clark, George Rogers 191 

Clinton, General 191 

Colonies, Life in the ... 155-166 

Columbus, Christopher. ........ 7-17 

Concord. 180 

Connecticut 105-107 

Continental Congress 179, 181 

Cornwallis 187 

Da Gama, Vasco. . . 6 

Dale, Sir Thomas ... 60 

Davis. 30 

Declaration of Independence 185 

Delaware 132-134 

Delaware, Lord 59 

De Soto 24 

Dias, Bartholomew ... 6 

Dinwiddle, Governor 146 

Drake, Sir Francis 28 

Duquesne, Fort . . 147-152 

Dutch discoveries . 41-44 

Education in the Colonies.. .87, 114, 138 

Elizabeth, Queen 31 

English discoveries 27-32 

Father Andrew White 68 

Florida . 21, 80 

Fort Orange (.Albany) 117 

Franklin, Benjamin . 144, 191 

French and Indian War 144-154 

French discoveries 33~40 

193 



194 



INDEX. 



Friends 124-132 

Frobisher 30 

Gage, General 177 

Georgia . 80-84 

Gorges, Sir Ferdinando. ..... 100, 10 1 

Government, Colonial 63, 77, 84, 94, 

96, 90, 103, 104, 106, 107, ICQ, 

120, 123, 127, 130, 134, 167-171 

Grand Model 77 

Greene, General Nathaniel 192 

Half Moon 42 

Hancock, John 180 

Hartford 106 

Harvard College 1 14 

Hennepin 38 

Henry, Patrick 175, 185 

Howe, General 190 

Hudson, Henry 42-44, 115, 116 

Huguenots 78 

Hutchinson, Anne 103 

Indians 46-51, 64, 80, 92, 

97, 108, 109, 131 

Intercolonial Wars 142, 143 

Iroquois 37> 5^ 

James I 53, 63, 64 

Jamestown 54~65 

Jesuit Missionaries 38 

Joliet 38 

Jones, John Paul , 187 

King George's War 142, 143 

King Philip's War 97 

King William's War 142, 143 

La Fayette 192 

La Salle 39, 40 

Lee, Richard Henry 186 

Line of Demarcation 20 



London Company. 53, c;4, C56, 59, 63 

Louisburg 149, 152 

Louisiana. 39 

Magellan . 23 

Maine . , . 100, loi 

Manhattan Island ... 118 

Manufactures in the Colonies 165 

Marco Polo 3 

Marion, General Francis 192 

Marquette , 38 

Maryland 66-73 

Mason and Dixon's Line 73 

Massachusetts. 88-99 

Massasoit ; 92 

Mayflower 89 

Mecklenburg County, N. C 185 

Menendez 25 

Middle Colonies (Summary) P- HQ 

Missionaries, French 38 

Mississippi River ... 24, 38, 39 

Montcalm, General. 153 

Montgomery, General. 184 

Montreal . . . . , 35 

Morris, Robert 187 

Navigation Acts 173, 174 

Negro Slavery 62, 166 

New Amsterdam 118 

New England Colonies (Summary), p. 99 

New England Confederacy 109 

New Hampshire too, ioi 

New Haven 107 

New Jersey 122, 123 

New Netherland 116-121 

New York 121 

Norse Voyagers 11 

North Carolina 74-79 

Northwest Passage 29, 3c', 39, 56 

Oglethorpe, James 81-84 

Ohio, French on the. . 145 



INDEX. 



195 



Pacific Ocean, discovery of 22 

Paine, Thomas 185 

Patroons in New Netherland 119 

Penn, William 125-135 

Pennsylvania, University of 138 

Pequot Indians . 108 

Philadelphia 129 

Pilgrims , 88-92 

Pitt, William 152 

Plymouth Company 53? 94 

Plymouth, settlement of 90 

Pocahontas 56 

Political Freedom 70 

Ponce de Leon 21 

Portsmouth, settlement of . . 100 

Portuguese Expeditions 6 

Powhatan 56 

Princeton College . . 138 

Providence 102, 103 

Puritans .,....,. 93~99 

Quakers , 124-132 

Quebec 37 

Quebec, capture of, by Wolfe 153 

Queen Anne's War 142, 143 

Raleigh, Sir Walter 31 

Religious Freedom 69, 91 

Rhode Island 102-104 

Roanoke Island, settlement on 31 

St. Augustine 25 

St. Clement's Island . . 68 

St. Lawrence River 35, 37 

St. Mary's, settlement of 69 

Salem 95 

Saratoga 190 

Savannah 83 



Schuyler, General 190 

Second Continental Congress 181 

Slavery 62, 166 

Smith, John 55-57, 88 

South Carolina 74~79 

Southern Colonies (Summary) p. 77 

Spanish discoveries 18-26 

Stamp Act 175 

Standish, Miles 92 

Steuben, Baron 189 

Stuyvesant, Governor. 120, 121 

Swedes, settlement made by 133 

Ticonderoga, Fort 149, 152 

Tobacco 31, 61, 62, 71 

Town Meetings 96 

Travel, Mode of 162 

Treaty at Close of French and 

Indian War , . . 154 

Treaty of Paris 193 

Valley Forge . 189 

Verrazani . . 34 

Vespucius, Americus. 19 

Virginia Colonx- 54-65 

Virginia named 31 

Washington, George. . 146-150, 181, 183, 
T87, 188, 189, 190, 192, 194 

Wethersfield 106 

White, Father Andrew 68 

Williams, Roger 102-104 

Windsor 106 

Winthrop, John 95 

Witchcraft 112 

Wolfe, General 153 



Yorktown 



192 



